Finding Fate
by nikkinikkibobikki
Summary: When Embry finally imprints, he is tortured by the young girl's past. He wants desperately to help her, but soon finds out that she may be more than he bargained for. Rated T for violence and language, rating may change Embry/OC
1. Preface

Since I was a child, he had been there; whatever I needed, he had provided without question. The few celebrations and the many more tragedies of my short life, he had been there, holding my hand and occasionally my hair. He had been my protector, my constant companion, and I had loved him for it. Now, in the darkest hour of my life, he was no where to be found and I longed for his comforting presence, his warm smile, and his protective embrace. I knew now that I would never see him again, and I sobbed realizing that that hope had been the only thing holding me together all this time. Now, as death loomed closer, a malicious smile on his lips and a liquor bottle hanging precariously from his fingers, only one name crossed my mind, heart, and lips, "Embry…"


	2. Chapter 1: Foster Care

**Quick note: I know its cheesy to say, but this chapter is kinda just a filler, the story will pick up and get better, this is my first fanfic so any advice would be much appreciated!! **

**Thanks, Nikki ;)  
**

Chapter 1: Foster Care

APOV

I watched out the car window as the sky grew steadily darker. We had been driving for about an hour since leaving the airport, and all I had seen was trees. The flight from San Diego to Seattle had been dull, with Catherine, my delightful social worker, asking me how I was feeling every five minutes. I hadn't been in any pain since we had left the hospital thanks to the medication my doctor had supplied; my ribs were healing well and the stitches on my forehead would be removed in a week, but I still couldn't sleep.

"We're here," Catherine said, parking the small sedan outside of a modest white house. I stepped out onto the gravel driveway and slung my solitary bag onto my shoulder. Catherine led the way towards the house, and as we approached the front door, a burst of color caught my eye. I looked up into the most vibrant and full flowerbed I had ever seen, every blossom had been tended and loved and cared for in a way I had never known. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Ready Andy?" I jumped at Catherine's question, being pulled out of the trance that the flowers had put me in. I nodded and prepared mentally to meet my new foster-mom. This was not the first time I had been placed in foster care in my thirteen years, but this would probably be the longest time that I was away from my parents. They had gotten themselves arrested and sent to prison for a minimum of two years for selling drugs out of our cramped apartment. It was sad, but I always cherished the time I spent with my surrogate families, however brief, because it gave me a break from the harshness of my regular life. My parents were very young when I was born, and neither of them finished high school. So, what were two stupid teenagers to do with no help, no money, no education, and one screaming infant? That's right, start pushing ecstasy to junior high kids. So when Catherine rang the doorbell of the house where I would spend my next few years, I already knew the drill; keep quiet, be helpful, and stay out of the way as much as possible.

The woman that answered the door looked like she had once been breath taking, but time had taken its toll on her. Her russet skin and long raven hair told the story of her ancestry, and her face was wrinkled, the creases deepening as she smiled.

"Hello Catherine, it's nice to see you again," she said shaking the social worker's hand before turning her penetrating onyx eyes on me. "And you must be Andy. My name is Hannah," she smiled even wider, if possible, and I couldn't help but give a small smile back.

"Well Andy, I have to get back to Seattle before dark, so I guess this is the end of our little adventure. Don't forget, I've scheduled you an appointment to see the local doctor to remove your stitches on Tuesday," Catherine gave Hannah a meaningful look before giving me a quick one-armed squeeze and getting back into the car. I had seen that look given to most of the people who took care of me. It screamed, _"She's damaged, poor thing."_ I hated that look.

"Come on in Darlin', dinner will be ready pretty soon," Hannah motioned for me to follow her into the small house. Once inside, Hannah led the way upstairs and down a short hallway to my room. I wasn't surprised by the warmth that I felt in Hannah's presence; her lovely flowers were a testament to her caring nature.

"Make yourself at home dear and come on down when you've unpacked. It's just you and me, so we can eat whenever you're ready." She gave me another quick smile before closing the door behind her. I looked around the small room, taking in every detail I could; the window with its faded blue curtains, the old desk and dresser that had their fair share of dents, and the twin bed in the corner, covered with a homemade quilt. I sat on that bed trying very hard not to cry. I had never had my own room before. When I lived at home, I had to sleep in the living room on the couch, and whenever I was in foster care I shared a room with the other kids. But here, it was just me and Hannah, a lady who seemed too kind to be true. I stood up, willing the tears not to come, and crossed the room to open the window to the warm July air. I looked out into the small backyard and the woods beyond it. If I had to be anywhere for the next three years, La Push wasn't looking too bad.

**PLEASE REVIEW: I want to know if anyone actually likes it so far, I will put up one more chapter soon, but after that only if you guys want me to**


	3. Chapter 2: The Beach

**Forgot the disclaimer for the last two, so here it is : I am not Stephanie Meyer, and I unfortunately do not own twilight**

APOV

_The slamming door caught my attention as I sat on the fire escape, enjoying the warm fresh air. I wanted to hide out here forever, but I knew better. If he was angry, hiding would do me no good. I crept back through the window and slid the window shut behind me. I hadn't even turned around when his foot caught me behind my knees. I fell forward and turned to look at him from my spot on the floor. Crap. _

"_What the hell did you do?!" he yelled, hovering over me with his fists clenched._

"_Dad, what are you talking about?" I feigned innocence, but I knew what must have happened. My guidance counselor had pulled me into her office earlier today after a few of my teachers noticed the bruise on the back of my neck, and she wasn't known for letting things go._

"_I got yanked off the street today because you can't keep your damn mouth shut!" he was yelling loudly, and I could hear my mother stirring in the next room. _

"_Dad, I really don't-" I didn't get to finish my sentence because those fists that had been itching to hit me since he first got home finally got their chance. They connected with my face and ribs and I could hear the snapping and crunching of the thin bones being moved out of place. I felt the blows, and then I heard my mom screaming, but the last thing I saw was the tattered old work boot aimed at my face._

I woke with a start, severely annoying Hannah's big grey cat, Angus that had taken up residence at the foot of my bed. I looked at the clock that was glowing on my desk and was discouraged to see that it was only four in the morning. Every night since I came to La Push it was the same thing: I would have the same nightmare about my last night at home, then wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. I quietly crawled out of bed and made my way downstairs, finding a pair of sandals and slipping out the back door.

On my second day here, I had found a path through the forest behind Hannah's home that led to the beach. It wasn't the same warm, sandy beaches of California, but the angry waves calmed me and I sat on the cool rocks until the sun came up.

By the time I made my way back to the house, Hannah had already started breakfast.

"Morning sweetie, did you have another nightmare?" she asked from the stove. I just nodded and poured myself a glass of orange juice. Normally, I would never confess my dark dreams to anyone, but after I had woken Hannah screaming on my second night here, I felt the need to explain myself. She had not pushed and prodded like the other adults in my life; she had just given me a small smile, kissed my forehead and told me that everything would be ok.

She set a plate of eggs down on the table and motioned for me to eat. "You should hurry, we have to go over to Forks and see that doctor about your forehead today." She sat down across from me in the small kitchen and we ate in silence. After breakfast, I helped with the dishes and took a very quick shower. That might have been the one thing that I missed about San Diego; city water. Here, Hannah only had a well, and the hot water didn't last long. I made my way downstairs feeling completely drained and not nearly as clean as I would have liked, and found that Hannah was already waiting in her beat up old Honda.

"Make yourself comfortable Andy, Bertha here can't get anywhere very fast," she chuckled as I buckled my seatbelt and snuggled into the worn old seat. I was finding that I loved everything about this lady; from naming this old rust-bucket to the way she hummed old country songs to fill the silence. She was so kind hearted and sweet. As much as I was starting to like Hannah though, I still couldn't bring myself to invest much in the way of conversation. It made me uncomfortable that she knew about my parents and my bruises, and though she didn't show it, she must have felt sorry for me, she was too kind not to. I don't like to be pitied.

I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, Hannah was shaking me gently. We got out of the car and walked into the small hospital. I marveled at how small-town everything was here, from the empty roads to the tiny buildings. I had never been sent to a small town before so I was shocked when Catherine had told me I was heading to La Push. She had told me that Hannah was a coveted foster parent because she only took in one kid at a time, and they had tended to stay with her until they were eighteen or were allowed to go back to their parents. So, when it came time for Catherine to place me with someone, she was surprised to see that Hannah was free and jumped at the opportunity.

Hannah and I checked in at the front desk and were immediately ushered into a small exam room (I guess small towns do have advantages) with a paper covered table. Hannah was only into the second verse of Garth Brook's _The Dance_ when there was a light tap on the door. I had to quickly pick my jaw up off of the floor when the most beautiful man I had ever seen stepped quietly inside.

"Hello Andy, my name is Dr. Cullen," he smiled at me, and flipped through the file that my doctors in California had sent. As he read, I let my eyes wander over his white-blonde hair and perfect features. I had never seen such a _pretty_ man, and that was the only way I could think to describe him. His face was pale, making his honey-coloured eyes blaze under his thick lashes. His cheek bones were high, and his skin was flawless. I must have been staring a little too intently because he cleared his throat before taking a step in my direction.

"Well Andy, your chart says that you suffered several broken ribs, one of which punctured your lung, a minor concussion, and a laceration on your hairline. So tell me, how have you been feeling?" That's when he turned his gorgeous eyes on my and gave me the look, that look that I hated so much, and I suddenly found myself annoyed with the god-like man before me. Why couldn't he just take out my stitches and let me go?

"Peachy," I mumbled as he began his examination, first checking to make sure my ribs were all still in place, then my lung capacity as they had done in San Diego, looking for improvement. He must have been satisfied because he left my torso and moved to my head. His touch was cold and a shock to my skin at first. _He must have terrible circulation_, I thought as he prodded the back of my head, searching for lingering pain. When he found none, he proceeded to remove my stitches and compliment the handiwork of my previous doctors; my scar would be barely visible. I silently thanked whatever god there was, because I couldn't explain another mark to the few friends I had back home. San Diego was a big enough city that your business wasn't spread around too much, so as far as my friends knew, I had a sick aunt that I visited a lot.

"Everything looks good Andy, I guess that's it for today," the doctor smiled at me and I found my bad mood softening. "I shouldn't need to see you again unless you feel any pain or discomfort."

"Thanks Dr. Cullen," I mumbled as I slipped off of the table, rubbing my fingers lightly over the tiny mark where my stitches had been.

"Thank you, Carlisle," Hannah spoke for the first time since entering the office, and gave Carlisle a sly smile.

"It was wonderful seeing you again Hannah; please tell Sam that I will be down to see Emily within the week," Dr. Cullen chuckled lightly. "Also, if you could tell him that while he is welcome to call me with any questions he may have, my nurses can not call me out of surgery again if it's not an emergency."

Hannah laughed warmly as we left the small office and walked back to the car.

"Who are Sam and Emily?" I asked. Hannah had never mentioned them before, and I was starting to worry that she was ignoring her friends because she didn't want to leave me alone.

"Sam is my nephew's boss and Emily is his wife. She's six months pregnant and Sam's going a little crazy," Hannah laughed again. "Oh, and while we're on the subject of my dear nephew, you're going to the beach with him today."

The sternness of her voice was what initially shocked me, but then her words sank in. I hadn't yet left Hannah's yard except to go to the beach and I was happy with that. The less people I had to meet, the less difficult questions I would have to answer.

"Why?" was the only question I could muster.

"Because you haven't met anyone since you've been here and you need to talk to someone besides a crazy old lady," she smiled, but the steel in her voice told me how serious she was. As much as I didn't want to go, I wanted to disappoint her less. She had been nothing but nice to me and I couldn't very well say no to the only thing she had asked me to do.

"His name is Quil, and he and his friend Jake are taking some kids to the beach to play for a while. I really think you will have fun, they're good boys and the kids are a riot," Hannah seemed pleased that I was not arguing, so I settled into the seat and enjoyed the quiet of the ride home. I would try to have some fun at the beach. It was sunny out; maybe I could find a nice spot and take a nap.

~ * ~

EPOV

I downed another glass of juice as I sat in Paul and Rachel's living room watching a ball game on T.V. We had gotten back from patrol about an hour ago and were desperately in need of something to do. Rachel was still at work, so Paul was free to have as much fun at he could until four when he had to start dinner. The only problem was that there was never anything to do on the rez.

Sam had been no damn fun since Emily got pregnant and Seth had been spending most of his time driving around Seattle or Port Angeles looking for his imprint. I couldn't understand why he was so desperate to find someone who was going to become such a colossal pain in his ass. I mean, sure, the sex would be great, I'd seen enough of my pack brother's memories to know that imprint-sex was a whole lot better than anything I had ever experienced. I just wasn't sure that a good lay was worth all the trouble that came with finding that special lady.

Take Kim and Jared for example. Kim was funny as hell and nice enough most of the time, but if you were unlucky enough to piss her off, you'd better have a good supply of aspirin handy. And then there was Paul and Rachel. Paul used to be the most strong-willed and independent guy I knew until he laid eyes on Jake's big sister Rachel. Now he was more whipped than all of the other guys put together. All Rachel had to do was snap her little fingers and he'd come-a-runnin'.

So when Paul suggested that we go and hangout with our two brothers that had imprinted on little kids, I was less than enthusiastic. Quil was my best friend though, and Jake was a pretty close second so why the hell not? It wasn't as creepy as it used to be that these guys had an unnatural connection to these little girls, we all knew that there was nothing sexual about it.

That's how I found myself walking down the beach on a rare sunny day in La Push towards my friends who were building an enormous sand castle. Quil was helping Claire put seashells on one of the towers, and Jake and Nessie were filling a bucket with water for the moat. As I raised my arm to wave at them, another person caught my eye. The girl was hunched in the sand with her head on her knees, but as we approached, she glanced up at us. The moment I looked into those bright blue eyes, I felt the Earth shift, my surroundings started to spin, and I felt a distinct tug behind my naval.

"Ah, shit…"

**A/N: OK guys, this is the last chapter I'm gonna put up without some feedback. I'm not going to hold chapters because I want a lot of reviews, I just want to know if anyone even likes it enough for me to continue :)**

**Thanks, Nikki ;)**


	4. Chapter 3: Beautiful People

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

Chapter 3: Beautiful People

APOV

Living in this town was going to give me an inferiority complex. I was never the girl that people saw as "beautiful". We didn't always have enough food, so I was thin, but not in the nicely toned way. My clothes were either hand-me-downs or from goodwill. I was painfully average. Now, I've been sent to the land of the beautiful people.

For the second time today, I had to scrape my mouth off of the floor. Hannah's nephew was a god; he honestly looked like he could have been chiseled from stone. When he walked through the front door to pick me up, it gave me yet another reason not to want to go. Who would want to go to the beach and have to sit next to someone that beautiful? It was going to make me look twice as bad. Maybe I could convince the kids to bury me in the sand…

After the introductions and a few minutes of chit-chat, Hannah ushered us out the door, handing me a towel and making me promise to at least try to have fun. I was less surprised than annoyed when I saw the man sitting in the driver's seat of the little car. Of course he was gorgeous. He was tall, with shoulder length black hair tied at the nape of his neck. His bright teeth shone as he flipped the passenger seat forward so that I could climb in the back.

"So you're Hannah's new girl, huh?" he asked as I buckled my seat belt. "I'm Jake. Sorry to cram you in back there with those too hooligans but luckily it's not too far to the beach." I turned to look at the two prettiest little girls I had ever seen. The older one, who looked about ten, stuck her tongue out at Jake before turning towards me and extending her hand.

"Hi, I'm Nessie, and this is Claire," she motioned to the younger girl who sat between us. Nessie was extremely pale, with just a hit of rose in her cheeks. Her rust-coloured curls fell almost to her waist, and she had chocolate eyes that were deep enough I could have fallen into them. Claire, on the other hand, had the deeply tanned complexion that I had fallen in love with. She had dark hazel eyes and black, bone-straight hair that was cropped to just below her chin.

"Hi Nessie, I'm Andy," I shook her little hand, marveling at how warm she was. "And Hello to you too," I added, smiling down at a very shy looking Claire. When I acknowledged her, she broke into a wide grin and I could count two missing teeth.

"I'm six!" she exclaimed. _Today might not be so bad,_ I thought as I joked and chatted with the girls until Jake pulled onto a small patch of dirt on the side of the road that served as a makeshift parking lot.

The path to the beach was a little difficult to navigate, and I had to watch my step as I picked my way around the large rocks. Quil had already pulled Claire up onto his broad shoulders, but Nessie caught my eye. She leapt gracefully from rock to rock, her toes barely skimming their surfaces before moving on to the next one.

Jake caught me staring and quickly plucked Nessie out of thin air to place her over one shoulder.

This beach was not like the one I had become accustomed to behind Hannah's house, it was more like the ones I remembered from home. We found a spot that was a good distance from anyone else and the girls went to work on their sand castles. I plunked down on the warm sand, kicking off my sandals and laughing as the two giant men followed every order from their tiny commanders.

As they began to dig and outline what was fast becoming a sand-village, I couldn't take my eyes off of Nessie. She couldn't be any older than ten, but by the way she spoke, the words she used, she could easily have been a teenager. I began to wonder if she, like me, had been forced to grow up too fast, but she showed no signs of abuse or neglect. She looked very healthy and happy, and by the way Jake hovered protectively over her, I doubt anyone would dare to lay a hand on her.

"Wanna go swimming?" Claire jostled me out of my thoughts, standing next to me and pulling off her denim shorts.

"No thanks hun, I think I'm gonna stay here and guard the sand castle," I stifled a giggle as her little face got very serious. She glanced around very quickly.

"Good idea," she nodded before running off to join the others in the steely water.

I spent the rest of the morning and into early afternoon watching them splash around in the water and finish their extensive castle. I wished that I could have joined them in the water, but there would be questions about why I refused to take off my loose t-shirt. My body was far from bathing suit ready; my back and chest were still bruised from my broken ribs.

So there I was, watching Quil and Claire decide the proper arrangement of seashells when two large shapes approached us. I looked up, and immediately rolled my eyes. Okay, this just isn't fair! Here I am, sitting on the beach, pale as a corpse, and I was surrounded by tall, ubёr-tanned men who looked like they could be models.

The latest two to arrive wore nothing but loose fitting shorts. The one on the right was taller and muscular with hair cut close to his scalp. The one on the left was a little shorter, leaner, with slightly shaggy straight hair… and he was staring at me with his mouth hanging open. What the hell was his problem?

"Ah, shit," the taller one laughed, catching the attention of Quil and Jake. Both looked up, then back and forth between me and the man who was still staring at me.

"Embry, Paul, how are you?" Jake left Nessie and walked towards the two newcomers.

"Not bad Jake, not bad, and I think Embry's day just got a whole lot better," the taller one, who must have been Paul, said, nudging Embry in the ribs. God, he was still staring at me. I shifted in the sand, feeling it scratch against my bare legs.

"Guys, this is Andy, she's staying with Aunt Hannah for a while," Quil joined in the conversation.

"Is that right?" Paul smirked, raising his eyebrows. I was really starting to dislike that guy.

"Andy…" Embry spoke quietly, I had barely heard him. I uncomfortably ran my fingers through my hair, lingering for a moment on my new scar.

Paul's eyes caught the movement. "Ah ha, another one with daddy-issues, huh? Man, Hannah has got to be crazy to keep taking in these kids." Stupid scar, was supposed to be faint, but this guy saw it from ten feet away and jumped to the right conclusion. That, mixed with his smart-ass comment about Hannah is what caused me to snap. She was the nicest women on the planet and this dirt-bag didn't get to talk about her like that.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I had jumped up and strode, barefoot, to stand directly in front of that huge man. My fists were clenched and I shook with a rage that came out of nowhere. I was vaguely aware that Embry was also facing Paul, his face masked with anger.

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. I was dwarfed by these giant men, all of which had mixtures of surprise and concern on their faces. It was the surprise on Paul's face that made me realize what I had just done.

I turned and stormed away from the small group, both enraged and embarrassed. I could hear their voices behind me, some mad, others laughing. I had almost made it to the road when I heard footsteps approaching.

"Andy! Wait up!" I stopped walking, but didn't turn around. I had to calm down; I was in enough trouble as it was. Kids with anger problems were sent to new homes, it had happened to me before, and I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Hannah yet. La Push felt more like home than anywhere else I had lived, and I had only been here for a week.

The man behind the voice caught up to me, and I was surprised to see it was Embry. We hadn't even spoken back there, so I was expecting Jake or Quil. I wasn't sure why, but I instantly felt better when I saw him.

"You won't get far without these," he smiled, holding up the sandals that I had left on the beach.

"Yeah, thanks," I blushed, taking them from him and slipping them on my feet. _Way to go Andy, make this guy chase you down the beach carrying your old ratty sandals!_

I turned to keep walking, and found him in my way.

"How are you getting back to Hannah's?" he asked. As strange as it was that this grown man seemed so interested in a thirteen year old girl, it felt natural.

"I'm just going to walk, it's not that far," I kept my gaze down as I responded.

"Would you mind some company?" His question brought my gaze back up to meet with his. I searched his face for signs of danger, but found only genuine curiosity. I had just exploded at his friend, completely unprovoked, why was he so determined to talk to me? Only one way to find out…

"Sure, why not?"

**Next Chapter: totally Embry's POV :)**


	5. Chapter 4: I'm Not a Creep, I Swear

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Twilight**

**AN: Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed, and to those who wanted more Embry, this one's for you!!**

**p.s.- ok, i know some of the grammar is pretty bad, but it's from Embry's head, and I just didn't see him speaking properly :)**

Chapter 4: I'm Not a Creep, I Swear

EPOV

Holy shit! My mind was screaming every word of shock I could think of. I just IMPRINTED?! So many thoughts were going to my head; I could barely sort through them all. I looked down into the eyes that started it all and realized she was waiting for me to say something.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, I'm sorry for how I acted back there, it was a bratty thing to do." How she acted? What was she- OH! Paul. Just thinking of what he said to her got my hands shaking. I had been just about to knock him on his smart ass when she was suddenly in his face. She had spunk, which was good. The grin that stretched across my face actually hurt a little bit it was so wide. I gazed at her as we walked, amused how far down I had to look. She was a lot smaller than any of the other imprints, aside from Claire and Nessie of course, and I wondered if she had stopped growing yet. Her shoulder length curly hair bounced as she walked, and the sunlight caught the hints of blonde that stood out among the chestnut.

"So Andy, how do you like La Push so far?" I know it was a really generic question, but I knew nothing about this girl, and I really wanted to hear the answer. The more she liked it here, the easier it would be for her to accept that this was where she belonged.

"It's ok," she replied, not meeting my eye. Well I guess I deserved that, generic questions lead to generic answers. I needed to get her talking, but I haven't really talked to a pre-teen girl since I was, well, a pre-teen boy. I didn't know what kids were into now, so I was stuck with the old stand-bys.

"What kind of music do you like?" Yeah, that was good, everybody liked music.

"How old are you, Embry?" Crap. I was hoping to avoid the whole age thing for a while. She wouldn't understand why I wanted to get to know her, and she would probably think I was a creep. But she wanted to know, and I couldn't lie to her.

"I'm twenty," I said slowly, gauging her reaction. Uh oh, she was frowning.

"You look older…" she studied my face, and my heart jumped in my chest. Just her looking at me triggered a physical reaction. I was in trouble once she got older.

"I like Country music," she answered my earlier question, her cheeks burning. I had to stifle the barking laugh that was rising in my chest.

"What, that twangy shit?" I asked. Wait, did she just- yeah, she totally just smiled!

"It's not that bad, a lot of them tell a good story," she defended, the brief smile gone.

"Still, after hearing that answer, I'm afraid to ask what kind of movies you like."

"Why are you walking me home?" she was studying me again. Jeez, was she always going to ask the tough questions without any warning? She was keeping me on my toes, that was for sure.

"I was worried about you. You don't really know the area and it can be dangerous," I decided limited honesty was the best approach. I didn't have to tell her that the dangers were cold, pale, and had very sharp teeth. Even if there hadn't been any except the Cullen's around for a while, I was suddenly very concerned that one would turn up. Was I always going to be this anxious now?

"You don't even know me, why do you care?" Oh, what a loaded question. Again, part of the truth was all I could give her.

"Because Hannah is like family, which makes you like family, and around here, we take care of our family. Besides, if Hannah knew that Quil just let you walk home by yourself, she would inflict some serious pain." I was expecting to get at least a smirk out of that, but nothing. I thought I had a wicked sense of humor, but apparently her smiles were elusive. That's ok; I would happily spend the rest of my life trying to coax them out.

"I can take care of myself you know, I don't need a babysitter," she stood straight, trying to make herself as tall as she could. Seriously, this girl was like the kid-sister I had always wanted. She was tough, and wanted me to know it; as if I could forget her little interaction with Paul. Hmm, Paul. He and I were going to have to have a little chat about the way he talked to Andy earlier.

"I don't doubt it, but humor me will ya? We're almost there anyway…" Wow, I hadn't realized how close we were getting to Hannah's until now, and it made me sad to think that I would have to leave her soon. I had so many more questions to ask, and I wanted to see just one more smile.

We were in view of Hannah's house now, and I could see her kneeling in her flowerbed, covered in soil. Everybody in the pack had a real soft spot for Hannah. She was Quil's aunt, which made her all of our family, and we had all kind of kept an eye on her since her husband, David died a few years back.

She caught sight of us as we walked up the driveway and sat back, wiping the sweat from her brow with her dirty glove.

"Well, well, Embry Call, I certainly was not expecting to see you today," she said, one eyebrow cocked. Great, I knew I was going to get a hard time from the rest of the pack, but Hannah too? She knew about the pack, she had been there with Quil's mom the first time he phased, which meant that she also knew about imprinting. By the look I was getting, she definitely knew what had happened.

"Thanks for walking me home Embry, but I still maintain that I could have made it on my own," Andy said, climbing the steps onto the small doorstep. Her tone was slightly harsh, but there it was, another smile, this one lasting longer than the first.

"See you later Shorty!" I was grinning from ear to ear as she walked through the front door.

"You'd better watch yourself, young man, because I certainly will be." I spun around quickly to see Hannah standing directly behind me. Damn, she was fast, I hadn't even heard her get up. "That girl has had it rough and I need you to give her space. I know what you're going through, I've been through it with Quil, but Embry, she needs stability. It may not look like it, but she's already made progress here, and I've seen enough of these kids to know what that means. She has a chance Embry, don't screw it up." She strode past me, following Andy into the house. Within minutes, I was running into the woods, stripping of my shorts and bursting into fur.

~ * ~

I was dragging my feet as I made my way to Sam's place. Guaranteed, Paul had already told everybody about Andy. It had been three years since we stood with the Cullen's to protect Jake's little imprint from those Volturi fuckers, and since then, we had been bad-vampire free, so anything new was big news.

I was a little nervous about what would be waiting for me in the small white house that had always been like home. There would be the "talk" from Sam about the responsibilities of imprinting, and Emily and Rachel would be all squeals and giggles.

I finally reached the back door and took a deep breath before turning the knob.

"Embry!" Emily cried out, leaving her spot at the stove to wrap as much of her arms around me as she could. Her baby bump was getting bigger by the day, and even though she looked tired as hell, I could tell how happy she was. "Congratulations, this is so great! So, what's she like? Paul said she's a bit of a firecracker." Her eyes flickered to the table where Paul sat with Rachel on his lap. I gave out the tiniest little growl.

"Knock it off Embry," Sam's stern, Alpha voice rang out loud and clear through the small kitchen. That was the only drawback to being back in Sam's pack; Jake never really ordered us around. Unfortunately, Quil, Seth and I had to abandon our cozy little existence in Jake's pack about six months ago. The Cullen's hadn't aged in a while, and they were all claiming to be a whole lot older than they looked. And then there was Nessie who was growing like a mutated bad weed. Everybody knew that they had to split pretty soon, and that Jake would be going with them. The whole situation sucked, Jake was one of my best friends, but I understood now why he had to go. There was no way that I would be able to let Andy out of my sight for very long, it was bad enough right now for Christ's sake, and I saw her ten minutes ago.

The only one who didn't rejoin Sam's pack was Leah, and I couldn't blame her, especially now that Emily was pregnant. She had been free of Sam's thoughts for over two years and didn't have any intentions of going back. It wasn't a huge deal that she stayed with Jake though. She had moved out to Nebraska and was now in college anyway, barely phasing anymore. Since the rest of us were staying in La Push, it only made sense to go back with Sam.

The unfamiliar panic of not being near Andy drove all thoughts of Paul out of my head and I only snapped out of my little trance when Kim and Jared came in, pushing past me.

"So what's so big that we had to rush right over?" Kim looked at Emily, one eyebrow cocked. Oh yeah, this was gonna be good. Kim wasn't particularly fond of any of the lady friends I had had over the years, and she said I would regret them once I imprinted. She was gonna just love throwing it in my face.

"Embry imprinted!" Emily practically burst, leaning forward out of Sam's embrace.

"Way to go!" Jared clapped my back then moving aside to let Kim take her sick pleasure in being right.

"I'm not going to say I told you so, Em," she said, her arms crossed across her chest. "Not yet anyway."

"So tell us about her already!" Rachel called from Paul's lap.

"Yeah, if this girl's going to be the newest member of our little club, we need to know what she's like," Kim said, moving to help Emily with whatever was for dinner.

"I don't really know much," I admitted, running my fingers through my hair. "I walked her home, but she was really quiet, so that kinda put a kink in the master plan."

"There's a shocker," Paul chucked, earning yet another growl from me, a stern look from Sam, and a smack on the chest from Rachel.

"So when can we meet her?" Kim asked, turning to put a delicious looking pan of lasagna in the oven.

"Whenever I can prove to her that I'm not some creepy old man, I'll bring her around." The room was instantly silent, with the only sounds coming from Paul, who was unsuccessfully trying to stifle his laughter.

"How old is she Embry?" Sam looked like he didn't want to hear the answer.

I didn't lift my eyes from the floor as I said, "Thirteen," and heard the collective groan that vibrated off of the walls.

~ * ~

After a really good dinner and an evening of hearing all about the joys and stresses of imprinting, (including that delightful conversation with Sam that I had been worried about. Trust me, sex talks get really creepy when you're talking about someone who you love like a sister) I had to run the night patrol with Seth and Kale, the newest member of the pack.

_**I hear congratulations are in order**_ Seth's thoughts were in my head as soon as I phased.

_**Yeah**_ I didn't want to talk about how happy I was with Seth, he wanted to imprint so badly and I hadn't exactly been its biggest fan. I took off running in his direction.

_**Hey, cut that shit out man, I don't need you feeling sorry for me, I get that enough from Emily.**_ I felt his annoyance fade and it was replaced with something else.

_**You should be happy; you found your other half. If anything, this gives me hope**._

_**Oh yeah, and why's that?**_ I thought, finally catching up to them on the line between our turf and the Cullen's.

_**Because if you can find someone to love your ugly ass, I shouldn't have a problem**_

~ * ~

Patrol had been just as dead and boring as it always was, so I found my mind constantly drifting to Andy. I had made sure that I was never too far from her house all night in case anything happened. God, this constant irrational fear was going to take some getting used to. I had never been so worried about one person in my entire life, even though I knew she was safe and sound at Hannah's.

It was this nagging fear that had me running to that house after I was through with patrol. I had always thought it was creepy when Jared or Paul climbed the trees outside of the girls' windows to watch them, but that's exactly where I found myself. I had to admit, when you didn't want to wake them up, this was really effective, I could see straight into Andy's bedroom window. _Just one peek_, I told myself, _just to make sure she's alright_.

It took about a quarter of a second for my heart and breath to completely stop. Where the hell was she?! It was four-o-fucking clock in the morning, and her bed was empty. Bathroom, bathroom, she was probably just in the bathroom Embry, calm down. I listened intently, but only heard two heartbeats coming from inside the house; Hannah's and that stupid fucking cat's.

I jumped out of the tree and had phased before I hit the ground. I ran around until I caught her scent leading down a path into the forest. Shit. It was completely dark out, and she didn't know the area. She could be lost or, and my stomach plummeted at the thought, she could meet up with some wild animal. There were plenty of black bears and even a few mountain lions not too far from here.

I ran down the path at top speed until I came out on the beach. Oh, well this wasn't so bad; there wasn't much trouble she could get into on the beach. Unless she went swimming…

I caught her scent again and followed it a little way down the beach, keeping slightly inside the tree line. Finally, she came into view, and I stopped to get a good look at her. She was still in her pajamas, and she was huddled on a large rock. I sat and watched her for a while, worrying about what she was doing out here so early.

It was just before sunrise when I saw the unmistakable sob rack her tiny body. Oh god, my heart felt like it was being torn into a million little pieces. It took all of my willpower to keep from phasing and running to her side to hold and comfort her. But she wouldn't appreciate that, it would scare her. So I sat and I watched, feeling completely useless, but not being able to leave her completely alone.

After the sun had risen, she wiped her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hand and headed back to Hannah's. I made myself a promise then and there; nothing would ever happen to her to make her cry like that again. I would make sure of it.

**Please review guys, thats the only way I know if you like it!! **

**Thanks for reading!!**

**Nikki ;)**


	6. Chapter 5: Barbecues and Secrets

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight :(**

Chapter 5: Barbecues and Secrets

APOV

I talked to Hannah more that night than I had the entire time I had been there. It was like something inside of me snapped and I could feel things I haven't felt in a long time, like happy and excited. Lately, my emotional range had been limited to angry, sad, and with Hannah, grateful, but happiness had evaded me for quite some time. Now, for no reason I could see, I was chatting all through dinner and practically bounced while I helped an unusually quiet Hannah with the dishes.

Was it the prospect of new friends that had me so giddy? I didn't think so, I've had friends before and it hadn't felt like this. While I had had fun with Jake and Quil, and I absolutely adored the girls, I didn't get butterflies in my stomach when I thought of them. When I thought of Embry however, I felt like I could float away. I had never trusted men; not teachers, foster dads, and especially not my father, but there was something about Embry I couldn't help but trust.

I was still waking up every night because of my nightmare, but the beach had become unsettling. I always felt like I was being watched, and I even thought I saw something moving around in the trees one night. When I told Hannah, she became very quiet and told me to stay in the house from now on. Since then, instead of watching the waves rolling in as the sun rose behind me, I got to watch crappy early morning television.

The week after my trip to the beach, Hannah kept us very busy. She volunteered at the local community center in the summer, keeping the greenhouses and flower gardens in order, and I went with her every morning to water the plants. I still marveled at her botanical handiwork whenever I found my gaze wandering to her flowerbeds. They were a window into her soul; she was sweet and nurturing and everything she touched seemed to thrive. I secretly hoped that she could have the same effect on people.

When we weren't gardening, we were on the road. Even though Bertha took forever to make it anywhere, we made several trips to Port Angeles and even once to Seattle. We were on our way out of a movie one afternoon in Port Angeles when we were stopped by a small group of kids that appeared to be around my age.

"Hey, what's up Mrs. P.?" a tall boy with short hair asked Hannah. The three boys and two girls all had russet complexions and black hair in varying lengths, so I assumed they had been students of Hannah's at one point, although they all looked too old to currently be in the fifth grade.

"It's Mrs. Price, Nate, and how are you? And the rest of you, how are you liking junior high?" Hannah smiled, looking at them all in turn. They smiled and quietly responded "good", or "great". Nate, however, seemed to be more chatty than the rest.

"Junior high is awesome Mrs. P., but the teacher's got nothin' on you," he gave Hannah a very charming smile before turning to me. "And who's this?"

"This is Andy, she will be starting the eighth grade with you in September," Hannah introduced me, prompting another smile to break out on Nate's face.

"Very cool," he said as one of the other boys cleared his throat behind him. "Well, we gotta go, but it was great seeing you again Mrs. P., and it was nice to meet you Andy. I'll see you in September." With that, the group walked off and Hannah and I headed to the car for the long drive home.

~ * ~

I woke up around two o'clock that night, but not because of my nightmares. I slipped out from under the covers, trying and failing to not wake Angus. He turned one angry yellow eye on me as I snapped on my bedside lamp.

"Sorry, Buddy," I gave him my best baby voice and scratched him behind the ears. I'd never had a pet and I was becoming very fond of this big grey lump. I snuck into the hallway and made my way to the bathroom. I was about to step inside when a light from the kitchen caught my eye. Hannah had gone to bed hours ago, but I could swear now that I heard voices. I crept halfway down the stairs, as close to the kitchen as I dared to go, and I could hear three voices, two of which I knew: Hannah and Quil.

"I don't care what you say, I know what's best for her," Hannah said, her voice the angriest I'd ever heard it. What could possibly have her this upset?

"Calm down, Aunt Hannah, no body's saying that you don't. We're just saying that this could help her too," Quil said soothingly.

"Listen Hannah, it's not really up to you anymore. As soon as he laid eyes on her, that was it," the voice I didn't recognize said, sounding very authoritative for being in someone else's home.

"Now you listen to me, Sam Uley, you are not my alpha; I don't jump when you speak. You are in my house and I am her guardian so what I say goes!" Wait, they were talking about me? And what the hell is an alpha? I tried to replay their conversation in my head and put myself into it, but I was interrupted by a forth voice. It was smooth, deep and filled with agony.

"Please, Hannah," Embry's voice was low and desperate. "I'll agree to whatever's best for her, but just… please." I wasn't sure why, but I had a strange urge to run to him, to comfort him. I actually had to work to keep my feet where they were.

There was a long pause, and then, "Fine, but I'm serious, one toe out of line and you'll have to answer to me," Hannah's voice was full of steel. "Now, out. It's two in the morning and I'm an old woman in need of some beauty sleep."

I heard chairs scraping across the floor and darted back into my room, the bathroom completely forgotten.

~ * ~

I had a hard time looking Hannah in the eye the following morning. The shame I felt for eavesdropping was at war with my burning curiosity to know what they had been saying about me. In the end, I decided that whatever it was, Hannah would tell me if I needed to know. She had given me no reason not to trust her. That, and I was afraid that if she found out that I had been listening in she wouldn't want me around any more.

I had just curled up on the back deck with a book and Angus curled up in my lap when the phone rang. It was Saturday, so there was probably a problem with the weekend staff at the community center. They were mostly high school kids and Hannah had had to go in last weekend to fix the sprinkler system for them.

I was utterly shocked when, after a few moments of quiet conversation, Hannah appeared at the door and held the phone towards me.

My stomach tied itself in knots and my hand shook as I took the receiver. None of my friends knew I was here so whoever was calling for me would only have bad news. Hannah was leaning against the door frame looking at me so I put the phone to my ear.

"H-hello?"

"Hi Andy, how are you?" I breathed a sigh of relief when Nessie's high voice rang over the line.

"Hi Nessie, I'm good, what's up?" After the shock of the actual call wore off, it was replaced by curiosity.

"I was wondering if you wanted to attend a barbeque with Jake and me this afternoon?" I marveled again at her eloquent speech before I responded.

"I don't think so Ness…" I suddenly found myself wondering if Embry would be at this barbeque.

"Please Andy? Claire won't be coming, so it will just be me and the adults. I need someone to hang around with who is cool," I heard Jake give a loud "Hey!" in the background, protesting to being called uncool, and my resolve started to waver. I didn't have anything planned today, and I did want to spend some more time with Nessie. We had made fast friends that day at the beach.

"Let me ask Hannah if it's ok," I looked up to where Hannah was still watching me and saw that she was already nodding.

"Its fine, Andy, I've got to head into Port Angeles to pick up some supplies for the greenhouses anyway."

"Ok Nessie, I'll go," I told the young girl, who squealed with delight.

"Yay! Ok, Jake and I will pick you up after lunch, and make sure you bring your bathing suit, we might go swimming!" We said quick goodbyes, and I hung up, staring at the phone in my hand. What was I getting myself into?

~ * ~

Jake and Nessie picked me up for the barbeque after lunch, just as Nessie promised. Hannah made the usual small talk with Jake while I got into the car and said hi to a very excited Nessie. Just before we left, I could have sworn that Hannah whispered something that no one could have heard, her lips just barely moving, and that Jake nodded ever so slightly, staring very hard at the steering wheel.

Nessie and I chatted until we pulled up in front of a small white house. I got out of the car and followed Jake and Nessie up the front steps and the little girl gave me a wide smile before darting through the front door. I took a deep breath before following her. I still didn't know what Hannah and the men had been talking about, and I didn't like being in the dark, but if Hannah trusted them, then I would try.

As I stepped through the door into the cramped entry way, I was bombarded with noise and activity. Every man I could see was as tall and well muscled as Jake or Embry, and not one of them wore a shirt. I felt my cheeks flush and kept my eyes on the floor as we made our way into the kitchen and towards a very pretty woman who had terrible scars covering the left side of her face and arm.

"That's Emily, Sam's wife," Nessie whispered in my ear. "She was attacked by a bear."

I tried to hide my shocked expression as we reached Emily, who was stirring a pot on the stove next to another woman. She greeted Nessie and gave her a side-armed hug before turning to me.

"Hello, you must be Andy!" Emily said, pulling me into a tight hug. "We've heard so much about you. I'm Emily, and this is Rachel." The tall, beautiful woman with her had long, wavy hair and was holding a beer. She also smiled and nodded to me.

"Hi," was the most I could respond. I wanted to add something a little more intelligent but Nessie was tugging me out the back door onto a large deck.

We hadn't been outside for two seconds when I heard him.

"Hey, Shorty!" Embry called, standing up from his spot on the railing and heading towards us. "Hey Ness, glad to see you conned her into coming." He flashed me a bright smile and lunged to ruffle Nessie's hair but she was too quick for him and ran to another group of tall men. My gaze followed her as she ran, and my eyes landed on the one person I had hoped wouldn't be here. Paul caught my eye as soon as I looked at him and headed in our direction.

I instinctually leaned toward Embry, half hiding myself behind him. He looked at me and grinned before saying, "Don't worry, Paul and I had a little chat after that day on the beach."

"Hey Embry," Paul said, reaching us. "Is that Andy hiding back there?"

"Paul…" Embry warned, but like that first day on the beach, something about Paul made me want to speak for myself.

"Yeah, it's me." I said, stepping out from behind Embry.

"Well, well, are we going to have a little freak-out again today?" he asked, smiling sweetly.

"That depends, are we going to be a jack-ass again today?" I asked, mirroring his smile and hearing snickers coming from the men that were scattered around the deck.

Paul looked at me for a moment before breaking into laughter and wrapping one huge arm around my small shoulders.

"You're alright kid, you're alright!" he laughed before he punched Embry on the shoulder and walked into the house.

Embry opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by a voice I recognized from last night.

"Hello, Andy," I turned around and Sam Uley extended his hand for me to shake. "I'm Sam, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm glad you could come today."

"Thanks," I murmured, taking his warm hand but not able to meet him in the eye. All of the others seemed to respect and admire this man, but I couldn't shake the idea of him in Hannah's kitchen, talking about me.

Embry seemed to sense my discomfort and led me back into the house and to the living room. There were two more giant men there, seated in chairs and engrossed in a baseball game.

"Hey boys," Embry greeted them, sitting down on the couch. "Who's winning?"

"Marlins," the older boy responded as I sat down next to Embry. "Seattle doesn't stand a chance this year."

"Andy, this is Seth," he pointed to the one who had spoken, "and Kale." The other boy, who had very short hair looked at me and smiled before turning back to watch the game.

"Sorry about their lack of manners, they were raised by wolves," Embry joked, prompting a loud bark of a laugh from Seth and a low huff from Kale.

There was a slight commotion in the kitchen and Embry turned, craning his neck to see what was happening. A woman with long straight hair strode quickly into the living room and plunked down on the couch next to me, pushing me even closer to Embry.

She turned to say something, but must have realized that I wasn't who she thought I was because she quickly shut her mouth and her eyebrows knitted together.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"Andy," I replied shyly. These people were going to think I was crazy; the only person I've said more than one word to is Paul.

Something seemed to dawn on her and she grinned at Embry before speaking again.

"Well hello, Andy, good to meet you. I'm Kim." She shook my hand, (I was going to have to get used to people touching me) just as a man came into the room.

"What's going on Kim? You've barely said two words to Emily in weeks," he said as he sat on the floor at Kim's feet.

"Nothing Jared, leave it alone," Kim snapped.

Embry cleared his throat and Jared turned to him, annoyed that he had interrupted

. "Jared, this is Andy," Embry said. "The girl who's staying with Hannah." Jared nodded and said a quick hello before standing up and leaving the room, mumbling to himself.

I was about to try and make small talk with Kim, but again, Nessie interrupted.

"Andy, I've been looking for you," she rushed into the room and stood in front of me, annoyed. "Let's go swimming before dinner!" She grabbed me by the hand and literally dragged me from the room and out the back door.

Nessie and I made our way through Sam's backyard and down the path that led to the beach. I loved that we were so close to the ocean, it was so peaceful. When we got to the sand, Nessie quickly striped down to a very cute two piece before turning to me expectantly. I was very aware that we had an audience; Jake and Embry had followed us, along with Jared and Kim. I slid my shorts off, and very slowly removed my t-shirt, feeling very shabby in my ancient, tattered blue swimsuit. My bruises had almost completely vanished, but I was still overly thin, and my ribs and spine were easily visible.

I saw Embry stiffen as Nessie grabbed my hand and ran towards the water. We splashed and swam in the cool water for about an hour before we could hear Jake's booming voice over the crashing surf, calling us for dinner. We quickly made our way back to the beach, putting our clothes back on without drying off and followed the others back to Sam's.

~ * ~

EPOV

I was really glad that Andy and Nessie were getting along so well, I had been worried that Andy would feel uncomfortable here with us; she was the only imprint besides Nessie that wasn't Quileute. And it would be easier for me to keep an eye on her if she was with Nessie. Besides, the little freak, and I say that with love, was crazy strong and fast, so if anything went down and I wasn't there, Andy would be alright.

Jake and I followed the two girls down to the beach, and were quickly joined by Kim and Jared. Ever since Emily became pregnant, Kim had mysteriously started to spend more and more time with the guys. It wasn't annoying or anything, we just all wondered why.

We broke through the trees and onto the beach just as Nessie kicked off her shorts. The teenie tiny vampire never let Nessie out of the house in anything that wasn't from some designer, and I wasn't surprised that bathing suits weren't an exception.

I was just about to tell Jake a dirty joke that Seth told me about vamps when I noticed Andy slide her shirt over her head. I froze, trying very hard not to phase on the spot when I saw her back. I could see the fading bruises that no human would have seen, and she was covered in them. I had known that someone had hurt her, but knowing was nothing compared to seeing. She was so skinny… like she hadn't been fed a proper meal for months.

When I started to shake, Jared and Jake followed my gaze and both sucked in a sharp breath at the same time. I let loose a low growl, and Jared moved in front of Kim, blocking her from me.

"What?" Kim asked, poking her head around Jared to look at me. She looked towards the girls, who were now ankle deep in the ocean, and then up into Jared's face. "What's wrong?"

Jared pulled her down the beach and began explaining why I was so pissed, but I wasn't paying attention. The shaking was getting so bad that I couldn't see, and I suddenly felt Jake's hand on my shoulder.

"She's fine, Em, ok? You can see her, she's right there and she's fine. You can protect her now, it won't happen again," he shook me, hard, and I felt myself begin to calm down. He was right, no one would ever, _ever, _hurt her again, and I would find whoever had and use him as a chew toy.

We found logs on the shore and sat to watch over the girls as they swam. When we could smell Sam start the barbeque back at the house, Jake called Andy and Nessie and we all went back to eat. I followed Andy around through the kitchen and out to the barbeque, adding more food to her plate as we went. She needed to eat to get strong so she didn't look so breakable. She gave me a weird look as I put two hamburgers on her plate after she had already taken one.

"I can't eat all of this," she said, wide eyed.

"Try," I smiled. "And if you can't finish, I suppose that I could help you out." She looked down at my heavily piled plate and did something I had yet to see her do: she laughed.

I reveled in the sound of her tinkling laugh as we joined Jared, Kim, Jake and Nessie at the picnic table in the backyard. Andy settled herself next to Kim and they started chatting while I sat on Andy's other side. Jake caught my eye and winked at me. _Yeah_, I thought to myself, _she was going to fit in just fine_.

**AN: Hey guys thanks to all those who reviewed, and i hope to get more in the future, so many hits and not many reviews??**

**Thanks for reading!!**

**Nikki ;)**


	7. Chapter 6: Goodbye Friend

**Sorry this chapter kind of jumps around a lot, it used to be two chapters :) anyway, i hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or an of its characters**

Chapter 6: Goodbye Friend

APOV

From then on, I spent almost everyday with Nessie, Claire and the boys. We went to the beach and to see movies, and we spent a lot of time at Sam and Emily's house just talking, laughing and eating. Emily was getting farther along in her pregnancy and needed more and more help around the house, especially at meal times. Since I had done most of my own cooking at home, I started helping Emily prepare food for the multitude of large, hungry men that tended to show up at all hours.

Nessie and I were cleaning up after breakfast one morning late in the summer when Seth and Kale strolled through the back door wearing nothing but low riding shorts. Kale, who looked old enough to drive or even vote, would be the grade ahead of me when I started school in September. It was reassuring to know that there would be at least one friendly face.

"Quil, Embry!" Seth hollered, lazily browsing through the fridge. I heard the couch in the living room groan as their combined weight was lifted from it. Claire bounced into the kitchen first, closely followed by Quil and finally Embry.

"What's up?" Quil asked, easily lifting a squealing Claire onto his broad shoulders.

"We're heading up to the cliffs, you guys in?" Kale grinned, showing his gleaming white teeth. I caught Embry shooting me a quick glance before shaking his head.

"Not today guys," he answered, Quil nodding in agreement. Nessie, however, whipped around to face them, obviously not satisfied with that answer.

"But today would be perfect," she argued, "Its really nice outside and there's nothing else to do today." She turned her full pouting gaze on Embry and Quil, and the two had no choice but to bend to her will.

"Fine," Embry relented, "but you guys DO NOT get to jump, do you hear me?" He pointed at Nessie, Claire and I in turn. "Swim all you want, but jumping is too dangerous."

I couldn't stop the huge grin that took residence on my face; I'd seen the boys cliff diving before, and it looked like a lot of fun. I knew that Embry had been deadly serious with his warning, but I also knew that if I really wanted to try it, he would let me; he always did.

Jake was in the backyard with Sam but jogged over to us when we came out the back door.

"Where we goin?" he asked Seth.

"Out to the cliffs," Seth replied, hopping into the back of Embry's old truck. Jake looked like he was about to protest but Nessie put her hand on his arm and he shrugged, joining Seth in the back.

Embry got in the driver's seat and Claire, Nessie and I squeezed into the cab with him while the rest of the boys piled into the back. It was a short ride to the cliffs, and soon we were all on the highest outcrop, looking down into the dark, choppy Pacific Ocean. Embry kept one hand on my wrist as I leaned over the edge to get a better view of the rocks below. I had never noticed before just how far of a fall it was to the water. I felt Embry tugging me back from the edge, and I followed, watching nervously as Seth took a running start and catapulted himself off of the cliff.

The rest of the boys took their turns jumping, leaving just us girls on the cliff. Nessie was dangerously close to the edge, and I could hear Jake yelling from the water for her to get back. When she turned to look at Claire and me, she wore a wicked grin. I should have known that she, like me, had planned to jump all along. I just hadn't thought of jumping from this high.

"No, Nessie!" I yelled, grabbing for her arm a second too late. We were too high up; it was a miracle that the boys had all made it unscathed, but Nessie was so little she would surely get hurt. She soared out over the water and executed a perfect dive, breaking through the surface and disappearing beneath the waves. I dropped to my knees at the edge of the cliff and frantically searched for a sign of her small body. Jake was already swimming towards the last place I had seen her, but there was no need. She had returned to the surface and was performing a very graceful backstroke towards the shore.

I drew in a shaky breath and sat back from the edge. Claire was standing close to me, watching as Nessie reached Jake. Her eyes were wide and she moved closer to the edge.

"Don't even think about it," I stood up and pulled her back. She was way too young to jump off a cliff. Me, however… if Nessie could make it completely unharmed, I could too. She was smaller than me; not by much, but still…

"Stay here Clare," I told the girl, who looked at me with a frustrated expression.

"I never get to do anything fun!" she huffed and sat on the ground with her arms crossed.

I smiled at her, took a deep breath and ran. I was about two feet from the edge when something very solid collided with my torso, knocking the wind out of me. It turned out that the solid something had been an arm, which then pulled me close to a large, warm chest.

I coughed, unable to breathe, and looked up into the very angry eyes of Embry Call.

"What the hell were you doing?" he growled. I could feel his chest vibrating with every word he spoke. He enveloped the top of my arm with one of his hands and started pulling me towards the path that led to the road with Claire following close behind.

"I wanted to jump," I gasped, and Embry stopped to allow me to catch my breath.

"Well that was pretty fucking stupid," he said quietly and continued dragging me down the path. Embry hardly ever swore when I was around, let alone directly at me, so I knew he was pretty upset. "You could have been killed."

"Nessie made it," I croaked, a sudden defiance flaring up inside me. I knew that I had scared him and that he was only trying to look out for me, but that wasn't what I wanted.

"Yeah, well, Nessie's… special," he said, slowing.

"I want to try," I abruptly stopped moving, causing Embry to stop and Claire to run into his back. I knew how childish I looked, but I didn't care. He gave me a critical look, deciding how much of a fight I was going to put up over this. I set my jaw into a hard line and crossed my arms, causing his eyes to roll and his shoulders to sag.

"Fine," he relented. "But you jump from the lowest shelf, and I'm going to be in the water waiting." He didn't smile and he didn't look at me as he turned and strode down the path. Claire and I looked at each other for a moment before we both set off after him.

We caught up to Embry on the lowest cliff and found everyone else already there. They were all sopping wet, and Nessie had a completely self-satisfied look on her face.

"Andy, come here," Embry's voice was harsh, and for a minute I was worried that he was angry with me. When I reached his side, however, he gave me a small smile before launching into his instructions for cliff diving.

"Ok, first things first: don't actually _dive_ off of the cliff, ok? That's not a good idea"

"Nessie did," I mumbled.

"Well, you're not Nessie, so let's forget about her for now, ok?" he said through gritted teeth. "Second, you have to jump out far enough to miss the rocks at the bottom, so push yourself away from the cliff. And third," he looked me square in the eyes, "be very, _very_ careful, ok?" He winked at me before taking two long strides and disappearing over the edge of the cliff.

I looked back at my audience and Nessie gave me the thumbs up. Once again, I took a deep breath before I ran the few steps to the edge and jumped. The cool, salty air rushed past my face for only a few seconds before I felt the sharp bite of the cold water. I was tossed around by the powerful waves for a moment before two warm, strong hands grabbed me and pulled me to the surface. I took a deep breath and looked up at a smiling Embry. I could hear the shouts and cat-calls from my friends overhead, and I couldn't help but smile.

"So how was it?" Embry asked as he towed me to shore.

"I felt… free," was the only thing I could say. He gave me his signature look; not like the one that so many others had given me, but one that was a divine mixture of amazement and confusion. We spent the rest of the day swimming and jumping before meeting Jared and Kim and heading to Port Angeles for the evening.

~ * ~

I had been told very early on that Nessie would be moving before the start of the school year, and the time for her departure was near. Nessie had become my best friend in the short time that I'd known her, and I wasn't looking forward to letting her go.

Her whole family was relocating because her adoptive father, who I'd found out was the incredibly gorgeous Dr. Cullen, had been asked work at a teaching hospital in New Orleans. They would be leaving in the middle of August and Jake would be going with them because he had been accepted to a college in the area. I was suspicious about Jake's reason for accompanying Nessie's family, but I didn't want to ask Embry because he was already depressed about Jake leaving.

A week before they were leaving, Nessie's sister Alice was taking us to Seattle to shop for their going-away party. I had been picked up in the only car that the Cullen's owned that wouldn't stand out in this small rural town. I had been to Nessie's house, and I had been in the garage. They had more outrageously expensive cars than most people had pairs of shoes, so I was slightly disappointed to see the silver Volvo pull into Hannah's driveway. I grabbed my wallet and hurried out the door, calling goodbye to Hannah in her flower garden, and hopped into the backseat next to Nessie.

"Hello there Andy," Alice said in her wind chime voice.

"Hi Alice," I smiled. Nessie had a lot of adopted brothers and sisters, and Alice was one of my favorites, along with her bear of a brother, Emmett. I found it a little strange that her siblings had paired off and got married, but they were all just so perfect together it didn't really matter. They all lived together too, except for Edward, who had married a girl from Forks and moved into a small cottage near the main house. I went to Nessie's house a few times with Embry and Jake and had become close with her beautiful family quickly, so I was sad to know that I would soon have to say goodbye to them.

Nessie and I chatted and laughed the entire way to Seattle, which was surprisingly short. Alice must have some lead foot to make such a long trip in such a short time. She easily navigated her way through the heavy traffic and pulled into the underground parking lot of a huge mall.

"Ok ladies," Alice turned to us with a deathly serious expression on her face. "We have exactly two hours and twenty-three minutes to find and accessorize outfits for you two." Nessie and I nodded our heads, and Alice led us into the mall like a general leading soldiers to battle. If there's one thing that Alice didn't mess around with, it was fashion.

We scoured every shop in search of dresses appropriate for the party. The Cullen's had great taste, and this party was going to be a sophisticated affair so formal wear was in order. Finally, in a French boutique with a name that I couldn't pronounce, Alice found what she was looking for.

"Nessie!" she called from deep within the stock room. She had convinced the girl behind the counter to let her in there with what I'm sure was a substantial bribe. Alice emerged carrying a sheer fabric that was a deep forest green.

"It's beautiful," I gasped, reaching forward to touch the dress with my fingertips.

"Here, try it on," Alice thrust the dress into Nessie's tiny hands and dove back into the many racks in the store room. Nessie ducked into one of the changing rooms leaving me to browse through the store. Every dress I saw was very pretty, and very expensive. I didn't have much money, only what I had earned babysitting back home and these dresses were far out of my price range. I was contemplating going in search of a bargain bin when the door to Nessie's changing room swung open. I looked up to see her wearing a dress that looked like it was created with her in mind. It was strapless and flowed away from her frame like a cloud to fall just above her knees. The shade of green accented both her bronze hair and pale skin perfectly, making her look much older than she was.

Alice appeared at my side wearing a grin that was wider than humanly possible.

"Perfect," she said, clearly pleased with her choice.

"I don't know Alice," Nessie looked conflicted. "It's really pretty, but Daddy isn't going to like it very much."

"You just let me worry about Daddy," Alice said, heading back to the store room. She returned not a minute later with the most gorgeous dark brown dress I had ever seen and held it out to me. My hand shook as I took it from her and she gently pushed me into one of the changing rooms. I would not let myself like this dress; I couldn't afford it so what was the point? I slipped out of my jeans and tank top and pulled the dress on.

"Well?" I heard Alice call from outside. I turned to look at myself in the mirror and my breath caught in my chest. The dress was fantastic, the chocolate brown matching my hair perfectly. The shape was very similar to Nessie's; it was sleeveless and came to my knees, but it was a little more fitted and was slightly longer on one side, creating a diagonal line across my pale legs. I wished I had the chest to fill the dress out a little better. The fabric wasn't sheer like Nessie's though, it was rich and soft and shone as the light caught it. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"Wow, Andy, you look beautiful," Nessie was standing in front of me, back in her own clothes.

"Of course she does," Alice said. She leaned forward to adjust something on the hem and I noticed the little tag dangling there.

"Oh my God!" I squeaked when I looked at the price. "Alice, this dress costs six hundred dollars!"

She looked up at me with a puzzled expression before looking at the tag for herself.

"This can't be right," she frowned and stood up, glancing around. "Excuse me," she called to a girl with a nametag. The girl smiled and walked over to us.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked Alice.

"How much is this dress?"

The girl looked at the tag, and like Alice, she frowned. "Give me a moment," she turned to a clipboard that hung just inside the store room.

"I'm so sorry, but this dress has been priced wrong, it's actually thirteen hundred dollars."

My mouth hung slack, and I had the immediate urge to get far away from the dress. If anything happened to it while I was wearing it, I would be working it off for a year.

"That's what I thought, thank you so much," Alice smiled at the girl who then went back to sifting through the racks.

"Alice, I can't afford this dress!" I told her in a shouted whisper. Surely she knew my situation, why would she even get me to try it on?

"Here you are Miss," the girl from behind the front counter had appeared next to Alice and handed her a clear credit card.

"Thank you," Alice shot her a dazzling smile before returning her gaze to me.

"Alice, what did you do?" I asked, although I was positive I already knew the answer.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Alice, you are not buying me a dress, especially not one this expensive."

"Calm down Andy, I didn't buy you a dress," she grinned at me. "My father did, as a going away gift."

"But I'm not the one who's leaving," I protested.

Alice shrugged her tiny shoulders, and a thought occurred to me.

"Alice, you gave her your credit card while I was trying on the dress," I stated.

"Mmhmm," she responded, guiding me back into the dressing room and closing the door.

"So how did you know that the dress would fit?" I called through the door, stripping off the dress and pulling my clothes on.

"Because I am an excellent judge when it comes to fashion," she opened the door and took the dress from me.

"Alice, really I can't let - " she silenced me with a glare that made my blood run cold. I knew that Alice would never hurt me, but she could be very scary.

We exited the store with two very impressive looking black garment bags and Alice began searching the rows of stores. "Now to find you some shoes…"

~ * ~

The day of the going-away party crept up on me at an alarming pace, partially due to the fact that Nessie's family hadn't even begun to pack.

"We're going to New York for a week before we move into our new home, so we will have someone move our things for us after we're gone," Nessie's mother, Esme explained over breakfast the morning before they were leaving. I had spent the night, and had yet to see a single box.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"I like it to feel like home right up until we have to leave," Esme said, giving Nessie a one armed hug.

The rest of Nessie's family had left very early, before we had even woke up to go hiking. Nessie's family loved the outdoors; they were always going camping and hiking, so they wanted to get in as much as they could before they moved to a city.

"That's really nice," I said. I wished that my mother cared as much about my feelings as Esme cared about her family's.

She smiled in response and we heard the front door open.

"Mmm, I smell breakfast," Jake sniffed as he walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Embry.

"Sit down boys, there's plenty," Esme placed two plates down on the large kitchen island, and within minutes they were being licked clean.

"That's gross Jacob!" Nessie laughed.

"No, you're gross Reneseme," Jake retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Well, my IQ is dropping just listening to this, you ready to go Andy?" Embry asked.

"Yep, we'll be back later Ness, thanks for everything Esme," I waved.

"You're very welcome sweetheart, see you tonight," Esme said as she placed another full plate in front of Jake.

I followed Embry out the door and climbed into his truck. It was a quiet ride to Hannah's; we were both to busy thinking about how sad tonight was going to be. He dropped me off, and I trudged into the house.

"How was your sleepover?" Hannah leaned out of the kitchen to ask.

"Fine."

"What time are we going to the party?"

"You're coming?"

"Of course, silly, I have a very nice dress upstairs that needs to be worn," she gave me a wink.

"Well, I think we're supposed to be there around seven," I said as I climbed the stairs to take a shower. I spent the day lazing around the house and helping Hannah take pictures of her flowers for a contest she entered every year. When it was finally time to get ready for the party, I paid extra attention to my hair. It was usually just a tangled mess of haphazard curls, but I planned to take a lot of pictures tonight so I wanted to look nice. I wet my hair in the bathroom, then went to work applying products, serums, and sprays. By the time I was finished, I had created a thick mane of rings that reached halfway down my back. It had been a while since I'd had a haircut, and I liked how long it had gotten.

I'd never been a big fan of makeup, but with the dress and the hair, it seemed appropriate. Alice had insisted on supplying me with enough makeup to it keep a sorority house happy, so I dug through the pile until I found the few things I knew how to apply. I chose a brown eyeliner, pink shadow, and mascara. Applying foundation was a daunting task, so I bypassed it completely. By the time I had finished, it was almost seven o'clock. Damn, we were going to be late. I grabbed the dainty silver earrings and bracelet that Alice had provided, and slipped into the low-heeled sandals that matched my dress perfectly. I hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen where Hannah was waiting for me. She wore a flowing white dress with short sleeves that hung about mid-calf. The contrast of the creamy fabric against her tanned skin was beautiful.

"Well, well young lady, you look fantastic," she said, a warm smile spreading across her face. Her hair was pulled away from her face and fanned over her back. "You definitely don't look like you're about to turn fourteen."

"Thank you," I did a little spin. "You look great too, I love that dress."

"What, this old thing?" she asked, adorning a fake southern accent.

We laughed and joked the whole way to the Cullen's house, which was lit up like a Christmas tree. It must have taken them all day for the house to have been transformed like this, but here it was. There were thousands of sparkling white lights and candles everywhere. Hannah and I walked in the front door to find that we were the last ones to arrive. All of Embry's friends had showed up, but I saw hardly anyone else. Surely the Cullen's had more friends than this?

"Andy!" Nessie called, launching herself at me and wrapping her little arms around my neck. She was so warm; I would miss that.

"There she is," Nessie's big brother Emmett called. He swaggered over to where we were standing and pulled me into a freezing hug. I had learned early on that no one around here maintained a normal body temperature. Nessie's family normally kept their hands to themselves, but on the rare occasions that their skin made contact with mine, they felt like ice. Nessie and all the boys from La Push on the other hand were always much warmer than anyone else. I used to worry that they might be sick, but it had been almost two months, and everyone seemed healthy.

I made the rounds with Nessie, saying hello to all of the guests and taking pictures with everyone. Emily and Rachel were seated on the couches with Alice and Nessie's other sister, Rosalie, while Kim, Jared and Quil watched Claire play the piano with Edward. We were almost to the kitchen when Nessie's sister-in-law, Bella, called us over.

"Andy, I don't think you've met my father, Charlie," she pointed to the devastated-looking man standing next to her. He nodded and shook my hand.

"You're Hannah's new girl, right? Is she here?" he asked.

"Yeah, um, she's over there with Carlisle," I pointed to the door where Hannah still hovered, laughing with the handsome doctor.

"I should go say hi, excuse me," he said, clearing his throat and heading in their direction. Bella gave us a small smile before joining him.

Nessie watched them for a moment before leading the way into the kitchen where we found Embry, Jake, and a few other boys from La Push. I snapped a picture of them standing around the island, all looking relaxed and laughing.

"Hey guys," Jake smiled, saluting us with a bottle of beer.

"You guys look _great_," Paul said with a large smile plastered on his face, earning him dirty looks from both Jake and Embry.

I stood next to Embry and he gave me that smile that I loved. Everyone around us began talking and laughing. I was fiddling with the hem of my dress when I felt Embry shift closer to me.

"You do look very nice, kid," he said softly before pulling me back into the living room. Nessie followed, determined to spend as much time together as possible before it was time to go and slowly everyone else filtered in as well. We all talked and laughed, enjoying the delicious food that Esme had prepared.

The party drew to an end far too quickly although it was past midnight when I said my final goodbyes to Nessie and Jake. Jake pulled me up into a bone crushing hug before heading over to tackle Quil and Embry. I turned to Nessie, my surrogate sister, and saw that her brown eyes were crying freely. For the first time in my life, I initiated a hug, pulling her close. She latched onto me and we stayed like that for a long time; her crying and me trying not to.

Finally, we pulled apart and Nessie disappeared between Quil and Embry, both trying to get the last hug. The rest of the Cullen's joined Nessie and Jake at the door, waving goodbye as we all climbed into our respective vehicles.

I slammed the door of Embry's ancient pick-up and he started down the long driveway, blasting the horn as the lights of the giant house disappeared in the darkness.

I was fighting the tears with all that I had, but before we had made it two minutes in the direction of Hannah's house, I felt them dropping onto my lap. I had my arms wrapped around my chest to keep from shaking, but I soon couldn't breath and a huge sob tore through my chest.

I started crying in earnest then, and I leaned my head forward until I hit the dash board.

I barely noticed as the truck pulled onto the shoulder of the road. Embry put the old Chev in park and leaned towards me, unbuckling my seatbelt. I felt the warmth of his hands through the fabric of my dress as he placed one under my knees and the other around my back and scooped me into his lap. I hadn't cried in front of anyone in years, and here I was, literally blubbering all over one of the most gorgeous guys I had ever met.

Every time I felt like control was in reach, another round of sobs would rack my body. Embry sat there, rocking me back and forth, and I leaned into his solid chest, savoring the warm comfort that seemed to emanate from him. He rubbed my back and whispered soothing words in my ear, trying in vain to keep my pain from swallowing me whole.

We sat there for a long time that night, and when I finally regained control I pulled myself back into the passenger seat and we continued home. Embry chattered the whole way back to Hannah's, trying to break the silence that had taken the place of my sobs. We made plans to go to the beach the next day with Kim and Jared when he dropped me off, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't have to worry about nightmares; I didn't sleep a wink.

**Ok guys, review, review, REVIEW!! they make the world go round!!**

**Thanks**

**Nikki ;)**


	8. Chapter 7: First Day Blues

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight :(**

Chapter 7: First Day Blues

EPOV

"How do you do it, man?" I asked Quil as he dug through the fridge for anything edible. He had just got back from patrol and had worked up a massive appetite.

"Do what?" he pulled a carton of milk from the Stone Age out and smelled it, shrugged and took a long swig.

"Just let them go off on their own and not be sure if they're ok or not," I heaved myself off of the counter and followed him to the table where he had piled up the rest of the food that hadn't rotted yet. Quil and I had built this place with our bare hands the year after we graduated. Neither one of us wanted to be the guys who hung out at their parent's place until they were thirty, so we pitched in what money we had and built a place on the property Sam and Emily had bought. Since neither of us could cook worth a damn, our moms or Emily usually stocked the place with enough food to feed a small army, but lately it seemed that somebody was dropping the ball.

"Right, right, school starts today," he mumbled through a mouth full of dry cereal.

"Yeah, and I'm freakin out because I have to leave her there, with strangers, for six hours. I'm telling ya man, I didn't sleep at all last night I was so on edge." I sat down across from him and picked through the pile, looking for something yummy.

"It sucks at first," Quil agreed. "But it'll get easier after a while, and you gotta remember, they're in La Push. Somebody's always on patrol, so no vamp's can get to them. Anything else, you just gotta have a little faith."

With those useless tips he shuffled down the hall and fell into his bedroom.

I looked at the clock that hung crookedly in the above the stove and cursed whatever gods there were that I was up at five thirty and wasn't even on patrol.

I decided that I could at least shower this early so I dragged myself to the bathroom. I could hear Quil sawing logs through the wall as I slid off my old cutoffs and stepped into the tub. As the scalding water worked its way through my hair I started thinking about how fast the summer had gone by. Ever since I met Andy, my life has been turned upside down. I hadn't gotten any action in like, three months and I didn't even care. I'd turned into Quil when I wasn't paying attention.

I was too wired to stand still in the shower for long, so I got out, dried off and walked into my room to find something halfway decent to wear today. I was going to drive Andy to school because Hannah had to leave early to get to La Push Elementary before her kids. I chuckled, remembering her freaking out at Jake and me for smuggling frogs into her class. We had after school detention for a week for that one.

I pulled open my closet door and groaned. When you turn into a giant wolf, you generally don't have a lot of need for nice clothes. Most of my good clothes were shredded from phasing, so the only things that looked okay were a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a black t-shirt that I got before I got all big and wolfy, so it was overly tight, but was clean and had no holes in it.

I decided that I should be productive for a little while, seeing as I had an hour before I had to leave. I wandered into the kitchen, found a garbage bag under the sink and filled it with all of the food that was no longer edible. My stomach growled as I chucked the now full bag into the can in the backyard, so I decided to leave early and swing over to Sam's for breakfast. Emily had been a little bitchy lately, but she was huge and uncomfortable, and she still fed us all, so I let it go.

I walked the eighty or so feet through the little patch of trees between our places barefoot and jogged up the steps onto the back deck. I could hear her before even opening the door, and panic rose in my throat. Our pack shared thoughts when we were in wolf-form, and we were all very protective of each other's imprints and loved them like sisters. So when I heard Emily wailing like that, my heart went into overdrive and I almost took the hinges off the door as I hurled myself through it.

She was sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands and tears pouring down her face onto her round belly. I crouched down beside her and gently grabbed her shoulders, turning her towards me.

"Emily, what is it? What happened? I asked, trying to get her to meet my eye.

She just shook her head and cried louder, so I let her go and stood up, listening and smelling the air for any signs of Sam. If she was acting like this, something might have happened to him. When I couldn't smell him in the house, I ran out the front door to find him standing in the driveway, staring hard down the road.

"Sam!" I called, relieved that he was alright but still worried that Emily freaking out. He turned to look at me, then sighed and hung his head.

"Sam, there's something wrong with Emily, she's-" he held up his hand and started to walk back towards the house.

"I know, I know," he looked so tired, I almost didn't want to bother him, but my belly rumbled again, and I followed him back into the house. He barely even slowed down as he walked over to Emily and lifted her off of the chair before he carried her upstairs. I wandered over to the stove where a pan full of scrambled eggs sat, waiting to be eaten by the next group to come off patrol. Haha, suckers. I scooped a good amount onto a plate and heard water running in the tub upstairs as I put some bread in the toaster. I ate the eggs before the toast was even done, then sat at the table to smear it with peanutbuttery-goodness.

I was just rinsing my dishes to put in the dishwasher when Sam came back down the steps.

"What's goin on, Man?" I asked. Seeing Emily cry like that had me shaken up, and I was getting anxious to see Andy again.

"Jared and Kim just left," he replied, eating the eggs right out of the pan. "I don't know what's going on between those two lately, but its getting worse. Emily's been in a really weird mood, and she just starts crying for no reason." I felt bad for Sam, I really did, but honestly, he kinda got himself into this situation.

"That sucks bro," I told him, clapping a hand to his shoulder. "You should get some sleep, you look like shit." I could hear his sarcastic mumbling as I headed out the back door and home to grab a pair of shoes. I had no idea if the old sneakers I put on matched the clothes I was wearing, but I doubted Andy would care. At least I hoped she wouldn't care.

As I drove over to Hannah's place, I thought about the last few weeks. Ever since Nessie and Jake had left, I had become kind of a security blanket for Andy. She still came over to Sam's a lot, but we had spent a lot of time at Hannah's too. She liked watching movies, so we usually went down to the only convenience store on the rez and rented some teen flick from the nineties. I was surprised when she said she hadn't seen many of them, but she seemed to get a little embarrassed so we'd spent that first week watching them all.

I'd been able to spend the summer watching her, but now I had to leave her safety in the hands of other people. Kale would look after her for sure, she was an imprint so she became his sister like any of the others. But he was a year ahead of her so she would be all alone in class. Crap.

I pulled up to Hannah's house and blasted the horn. Andy burst out the door with a backpack over her shoulder and practically ran to the truck. She jumped into the seat beside me and smiled so wide I thought her face might crack.

"I thought kids were supposed to hate school," I laughed as I pulled onto the road.

"Yeah well, I'm not your everyday kid am I?"

"I guess not," I agreed. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as we drove. Since we'd first met, she had put some meat on her bones and she looked so much healthier. I like to think that I had a part in that, but it was really Emily and Hannah's excellent grub.

I had a hard time not laughing at the girl next to me, she was bouncing she was so excited.

"Seriously though Andy, I was never this excited for school."

Her smile faltered. "School was always better than home," she said quietly. Shit, why did I have to push? Kids should like school, but I just had to keep questioning her and bring up her past. I couldn't think of anything to say after that, so I kept my mouth shut the rest of the way to La Push Jr. High.

I pulled into the parking lot where I'd gotten into a lot of fights when I was a kid and turned off the engine. Andy had her hand on the door handle, but was staring through the windshield at all of the kids that looked so very different from her.

"Do you think they'll like me?" she whispered. I put my hand on top of her head and turned it to face me.

"What's not to like?" I asked, then seeing that she wasn't convinced added: "If they don't, fuck 'em. You got me, who else do you really need?"

She gave me a quick grin before jumping out of the truck and making her way to the school. I caught every pre-pubescent jerk checking her out as she walked by them and the cab was filled with my growls. This was going to be a long year.

~ * ~

APOV

My first day of school was turning out to be the opposite of what I had hoped. First of all, even though this school was much smaller than my last one, I got lost. Secondly, I hadn't thought to bring any gym clothes so I had to play soccer in a pair of sandals, and finally, though I know it shouldn't bother me, I am the only student in this school that is not Quileute. I'd spent my entire life being different and I was ready to just blend in. Not going happen here.

I was walking into the cafeteria with my packed lunch when I heard the best sound in the world: a familiar voice.

"Hey Andy! Over here!" Kale waved his long arm, easily visible over the heads of the other kids.

"Hey Kale," I sat down between him and one of his friends.

"How's your first day goin so far?"

I chuckled darkly and he put a scorching arm around my shoulders.

"No worries kid, it'll get better."

"Don't count on it," the short boy who sat beside me mumbled.

"Hey! Lay off, Harris, she's family," Kale barked, making the smaller boy jump in his seat. I looked up at Kale and smiled; family had never meant anything to me until now.

I spent the rest of the lunch period being drawn into a lively debate over who was the better superhero, Batman or Spiderman. I had to disagree with Kale, Batman was clearly better; the car alone was enough to beat out a guy in red and blue spandex.

After lunch I had Math, my worst class which dragged on and on, followed by English, which had always been my favorite. I could lose myself so completely in a book that I would forget my life. Even if just for a second, the relief was irresistible. I took a seat in the middle of the row closest to the window and watched as my class mates filed in. I recognized a few of them, but I hadn't spoken to anyone except Kale and his friends all morning.

That's why I was surprised when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped, flinching away from the stranger's touch.

"Whoa, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the boy said, holding up his hands as if surrendering. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"You're Andy, right? I'm Nate, we met at the movies in Port Angeles this summer."

That's right, he had been one of Hannah's students that we'd run into. He smiled and lowered his hands when he saw the recognition on my face.

"So you made it through the summer in La Push. Where have you been hiding? I didn't see you around" he seemed genuinely interested.

"I spent a lot of time at Sam and Emily Uley's," I said. He gave me a weird look and was about to respond when the teacher called the class to attention.

The class went by quickly and soon I was gathering my things into my backpack. I had just made it out the door when I heard my name.

"Hey, wait a sec Andy!" I spun around a little too quickly and banged my head against the door frame. I stumbled backwards, seeing stars but someone grabbed onto my shirt to keep me from hitting the floor.

"Andy I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep doing that I swear. Ah, shit, you're bleeding."

My eyes finally focused on Nate, who was staring at my forehead with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," I tried to laugh it off.

"No you're not, here, let me..." he used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the blood from my forehead.

"Thanks," I winced as he brushed over the cut.

"Hey!" Kale suddenly towered over me, glaring at Nate. "What the hell are you doing?"

"She hit her head, I was just helping her man, chill out," Nate tried to sound tough; a hard task seeing as Kale was a good six inches taller than him.

"Well, I got it now so run along," Kale waved his hand at Nate.

"Fine, whatever, I'll see ya later Andy," Nate scoffed and left me, bleeding, next to a cranky Kale.

"Come on, let's go," Kale mumbled. He had offered to walk me home yesterday because Hannah and Embry would still be working. All of the boys that I knew worked for Sam doing security and building houses.

He started walking towards the doors and I followed him, earning startled looks from everyone as we passed, blood dripping from my head.

"Um, Kale?" I asked when we'd made it outside.

"Yeah?" he said turning to me. "Jesus, Andy, what happened anyway?" He dug in his pocket and produced a crumpled but clean looking tissue.

"Thanks," I took it from him and pressed it to my head as we started walking towards Hannah's. "I ran into the door, it was nothing."

"Embry's gonna kill me," Kale grumbled, glancing at me.

"Why? You didn't do anything."

"Yeah, that's just it."

~ * ~

When we got to Hannah's, we had just enough time to drop off my books and for Kale to have a quick snack before we went to Sam and Emily's for dinner. Honestly, all these boys did was eat. How they stayed in shape I'll never know.

Quil had driven over to the Makah reservation to pick up Claire, so he was going to stop and pick us up on the way to dinner. I was searching for a band-aid and Kale was polishing off the remnants of last night's dinner when we heard the honking outside. I grabbed a jacket and pulled Kale away from the fridge and out the door. I hadn't seen Claire much since Nessie had left so I jumped into the back seat with her.

"Hey Claire, I missed you, did you have a good first day of school?"

"Yeah, it was pretty fun, and I got to see Aunt Hannah at lunch time!" Claire had taken to calling Hannah "Aunt" from a very young age. "What happened to your head?"

"Yeah, Andy, what happened?" Quil was managing to both look at me in the rearview mirror and give Kale an evil glare.

"I ran into a door," I made a funny face at Claire, who giggled and stretched up to plant a kiss on my forehead.

"All better?"

"You better believe it," I tickled Claire and she was shrieking with laughter in no time.

We pulled into Sam's yard and I helped Claire out of her booster seat. She wasn't quite tall enough to go without one yet, much to her distain, so Quil had bought her one that was hot pink with streamers and covered in princesses. He had been made fun of a lot for it, but he just brushed it off. When it came to Claire, Quil would do whatever it took to make her happy. There was even a picture on Emily's fridge that showed him in a dress and bonnet, drinking pretend tea with a four year old Claire.

"Aunt Emily!" Claire called, tearing into the kitchen.

"Hey sweetheart," Emily bent down as best as she could to hug Claire.

"Are the guys back yet?" Quil asked.

"No, but they should be back soon," Emily replied, smiling at him and placing one arm around my shoulder.

He nodded and followed Claire into the living room to watch a movie.

I wandered over to the stove and automatically began stirring a large pot of spaghetti noodles. I loved Emily's spaghetti, and I wasn't the only one. She only made it every once in a while, and everyone usually came over, so I wasn't surprised when Rachel strode into the house less than ten minutes after we arrived. She immediately pushed Emily into a chair and put her feet on the one across the table from her. She gave me a wink and settled in beside me, checking the sauce and the meatballs that were baking.

"So how was school?" she asked me as she poked the meatballs with a fork.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Emily squealed. "Did you have a good first day?"

I couldn't bear to make her smile disappear so I did what any good friend would do, I lied.

"It was great! Everybody was really friendly, and my classes are going to be interesting," I plastered a big, fake smile on my face, and Emily seemed satisfied with my answer. Rachel on the other hand shook her head and smirked.

"You can tell me all about it later," she whispered in my ear. Rachel was an excellent mixture of Emily and Kim, both nurturing and motherly, but also very funny and sarcastic.

Just as we were putting the last three loaves of garlic bread in the oven to toast, the back door burst open and about ten large, dirty men flooded in. They followed their noses over to the stove and I had to jump quickly out of the way to avoid being squashed. Only three of the men who stampeded into the house didn't head straight for the food; Sam went to Emily and bent down to kiss both her face and her belly, Paul swept Rachel up into his arms and kissed her with more passion then I had seen in any movie, and Embry swaggered towards me. His bright smile seemed to light up the room until it transformed into a scowl and his swagger became a quick paced march.

"What happened?" he growled when he reached me, tracing my wound with his fingertips.

"Nothing, I just banged my head," I smiled, but his expression didn't change as he examined my forehead.

His jaw muscles clenched and he backed away from me, pushing through the crowd to get to the food. I watched him fill two plates, as was customary. He always fixed my plate, and he always ended up eating what I left behind. He didn't look at me as he walked out the back door and sat at the picnic table, so I followed him onto the deck and sat down next to him.

"So did you have a good day?" he pushed my full plate toward me.

"Not really," I said as I took a bite. I hadn't ever been able to lie to Embry, and I never felt the need.

"Missed me too much?" he guessed.

"That must have been it," I sighed dramatically before giggling.

"Seriously though, what happened to your head?"

"Someone called my name and I turned to look and ran into a wall," I explained, my cheeks flaming red.

"Did it hurt?"

"Only a little."

I watched his eyes as they moved back and forth over the small cut. He was making far too big a deal over this, everyone hurt themselves from time to time; it was like he physically couldn't handle the tiny wound.

"Did you make any friends?" he continued with the inquisition.

"I talked to Kale and his friends at lunch, and then Nate for a few minutes during English, but I didn't meet anyone new."

"Nate?" Embry questioned.

"One of Hannah's old students that I met this summer; he's in my last class and we talked for a second before class started." I pushed what was left of my spaghetti onto Embry's plate and he finished it in silence.

"Tomorrow will be better," he said as he took both plates inside. I followed him and was surrounded by the encouraging smiles of my surrogate family. Whatever happened at school, I felt safe with the knowledge that these people would always be there for me.


	9. Chapter 8: Happy Effing Birthday To Me

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long but the next chapter will come quick. Thanks to all that reviewed, it means the world to me!!  
**

**There is underage drinking in this chapter and it will be front and center in the next few chapters so if you don't like that, turn back now! You have been warned.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters**

Chapter 8: Happy Effing Birthday To Me

APOV

I fell into a rhythm of silence at school. My morning passed without me saying a word unless I was called upon by a teacher until lunch which I would spend with Kale. He and his friends were fifteen, so we spent a lot of time outside watching the cheerleaders practice new routines on the football field. It wasn't my favorite pastime, but unless I wanted to sit alone it was my only option.

A surprising break from my lonely classes was English. I had apologized to Nate for Kale the second day of school but he had shrugged it off as if nothing had ever happened. He reminded me a lot of the friends I had in San Francisco; funny, smart, and we realized on Thursday that we had a shared love for _Lord of the Flies_.

It was Friday afternoon, and I was wondering what Emily would be making for supper as I waited for English to start (spending so much time with Embry and Quil had changed my outlook on food). Nate sauntered into class with a few guys as he normally did, but instead of going directly to his seat, he paused to perch on the edge of my desk.

"Hey Andy, any fun plans for the weekend?" he asked with an all-to-innocent look.

"Nope, same old, same old," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "You?"

"Well, a few of us are headin' up to Keith Brandon's place to hang out," he said. "You should come."

I couldn't meet his eyes as I pondered what he had said. He was the only person that I talked to outside of Kale's group of friends, did I really want to go somewhere where I wouldn't know anyone?

I decided to be bold. "Yeah, that sounds great," I sounded less than certain, but Nate smiled. We made plans for him to pick me up around eight and we settled into our seats, waiting for class to start.

The rest of the afternoon flew by and before I knew it, I was sitting at Emily's kitchen table next to an unusually quiet Kim. I may not have known them for very long, but even I could see the distance that had been growing between Kim and Emily. They were still civil with one another, but Emily always looked sad when Kim was around, which wasn't very often. Any time that I spent with Kim away from Emily, she was full of life and friendly sarcasm, so the Kim that sat at the table with me that night was like a stranger.

My hopes of Emily's delicious food had been dashed when I arrived to find the guys already home, having finished the house they had been working on early. They had brought home a truck load of pizza, and I was lucky enough to snag a piece before they were all devoured.

I was both disappointed and relieved when Embry was nowhere in sight. Emily had been all to happy to inform me that Quil's mother had made an impromptu visit to their house and found it in complete disarray. Embry and Quil had had to scarf down a measly three slices of pizza each before scurrying off to do some major home cleaning.

I was surprisingly relieved that Embry would be busy for the rest of the night. I hadn't relished the thought of telling him about my plans for the evening; Kale clearly didn't like Nate and I assumed that Embry would share his opinion.

I ate my pizza in silence next to Kim while Emily puttered around the kitchen. Most of the boys were heading off to some sort of work meeting so they were trying to eat as quickly as possible. I helped Emily with the dishes, but when neither she nor Kim had any desire to talk, I said my goodbyes and headed back to Hannah's.

When eight o'clock rolled around, I was waiting anxiously in the living room for Nate to pick me up. Hannah sat on the couch with a cup of coffee, watching my knees bouncing under my skirt. She had been adamant about waiting up for me to get home, even after I had guaranteed her that it wasn't necessary. She wasn't thrilled about me going in the first place, but I had assured her that it was just going to be a few kids getting together, and I think she must have seen my desperation. I was desperate; I had always cherished my time at school, but without anyone to talk to it was loosing its appeal.

When I finally saw headlights flash on the wall I jumped up and bolted for the door.

"Have fun and be safe!" I heard Hannah call from behind me. "And don't be out too late!"

I slammed the door behind me harder than I intended to and practically ran to the huge SUV that dominated Hannah's small gravel driveway.

"Hey, you look great!" Nate said as I climbed into the back seat of the big red monster. He sat in the front next to a guy that looked about Embry's age. "This is my brother, Charlie, he offered to be our chauffeur for the night."

"Whoopie," Charlie said dryly.

"Thanks," I replied, "You look nice too Nate." He did look nice in his dark wash jeans and crisp white shirt that contrasted nicely with his dark skin.

Nate and I chatted about school and movies over Charlie's loud rap music as we drove. When we finally pulled up in front of a large house, my suspicions that Nate and his friends were of the wealthy variety were confirmed. We climbed out of the car and made our way up the stone walkway to the massive oak front door and walked into the loudest, wildest party that I'd ever seen. The music was so loud that no one could possibly carry on a conversation, but as I followed Nate through the large foyer towards the back of the house I could see that no one was really talking. I hadn't ever been to a school dance, but I hadn't imagined that this was what kids in middle school were doing. They were so close that I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began; some were kissing and others had hands disappearing under clothing. Suddenly, I felt very uncomfortable. This was not the small, quiet get together that I had been expecting.

When we made it to the dimly lit kitchen, I leaned against a counter while Nate drank and laughed with some kids I recognized from school. This was not at all how I envisioned the night. I wanted to talk to these people, to get to know them and for them to know me. That was unlikely to happen however because everybody was either heavily intoxicated or sneaking off for some alone time with a partner.

I had been quietly watching the party-goers for about an hour when a girl with a very short skirt and far too much makeup staggered into the room and screamed.

"Nate!" she giggled and fell into his outstretched arms, barely holding onto the half full bottle she was carrying.

"Easy there, Cass wouldn't want you to end up on your ass," Nate laughed as another boy entered the room and took hold of the intoxicated girl.

"Babe, you gotta lay off that for a bit, ok?" he asked, rolling his eyes as she took another big gulp.

"Who's the pale-face?" she slurred, her unfocused eyes landing on me.

"This is Andy, remember? We met her this summer at the movies, she's staying with Mrs. Price." Nate smiled at me.

The girl squinted at me for what seemed like a very long time before nodding her head.

"Right, sure, how ya doin?" she asked. "I'm Cassidy, wanna drink?" she thrust the bottle she was holding at me, swaying considerably.

"No thanks, I don't drink" I said. I caught some snickers from around the kitchen and my cheeks flared red.

"Come on! I'm sick of being the only one drinking!" Cassidy whined. I couldn't see anyone who didn't have a glass or a bottle in hand, but she still held the bottle towards me, pouting.

"Go on, Andy, it won't hurt you," Nate whispered in my ear and I could smell his own drink on his breath. Now, I had never been one to bend to peer pressure, but I wanted desperately for these people to like me. I needed them to if I had any chance of lasting the year. They were all staring at me expectantly, and I was already so different that my overwhelming need to fit in won over my common sense.

I accepted the bottle and gingerly took a sip. The sharp taste burned my mouth and throat, and I coughed and sputtered, trying to give Cassidy the bottle back.

"No, no, little Andy, you keep that, I have this one," she said, producing another large bottle from her expensive-looking bag.

I looked down at my own bottle and took a slightly larger sip than before. Nate gave a loud whoop and pulled me to his side, taking a drink from his glass. I spent the rest of the night laughing and drinking with the group in the kitchen. The boy that Cassidy hung off of was Nate's best friend Danny, who I also recognized from the movie theatre. I started talking to anyone who would listen and by the end of the night, Cassidy and I had our arms slung around one another, singing a terrible rendition of "Hit Me Baby, One More Time." I polished off the first bottle Cassidy had given me, so she quickly dug up a full one, which I took one drink from before stowing it in my purse. I wouldn't need it, the first bottle had me falling over.

Some time later, I woke up to find myself in the backseat of Charlie's SUV with Nate's hand on my knee. I didn't remember how I got there, but we were pulling into Hannah's driveway.

"Wake up s-shleepy head," Nate cooed from the front seat. I pulled my face off of the cool window and instantly regretted the fast movement as the world began spinning. I covered my face with my hands and let out a sound that was a weak combination of a groan and a whimper.

"Hey, kid, no puking in my car!" Charlie hissed as he jumped out of the driver's seat and opened my door. He pulled me from the car, made sure I was relatively steady, and pointed me in the direction of the house before climbing back in and slamming his door.

"Bye bye Andy," Nate giggled with his eyes half shut.

I couldn't even bring myself to wave as Charlie pulled onto the road and sped away. It took me forever to stumble to the front door, and I tripped more times than I could count, scraping my hands and knees. When I finally made my way inside the house I could hear the hum of the television from the living room. Did Hannah really wait up for me? It was after one in the morning, and I was beyond drunk; she was not going to be happy. I used the wall for support as I moved towards the living room. When I got to the door, I took a deep breath and tried to stand up straight before I turned to face her.

She was asleep. I almost cried out at my good fortune; she had fallen asleep in front of the television, saving me. I made a sharp u-turn, nearly losing my balance, and crawled up the stairs and into my bedroom. As I lay on my bed, bleeding and dizzy, I swore up and down that I would never again have alcohol touch my lips.

I woke up with the overwhelming urge to throw up. I hurled myself to the bathroom, making it just in time. I sat back and leaned against the wall. I could feel the sun on my face and I focused on the warmth while willing my stomach to settle.

It was a moment before it hit me: the sun was up. It was morning. For the first time since coming to La Push, I had slept through the night without any trace of a nightmare. Tears started trailing down my face and the relief that I felt was overwhelming. I was reveling in this new development when my stomach lurched and I once again turned my face towards the toilet.

~ * ~

I drank myself to sleep every night for the next month. I found that it didn't take that much alcohol to get me through the night; a few good gulps right before bed usually did the trick so I was still working my way through the bottle that Cassidy gave me. Hannah had been curious about my night out, but after I had told her an elaborate story about games and movies she had let it go. School had also become more pleasant; my new friends were in most of my classes and while I did miss lunches with Kale and his friends, I spent that time with Nate and Cassidy as well.

As September came to an end, my birthday drew near. Hannah knew when my birthday was from the file that Catherine gave her, but I had hoped that she hadn't told anyone else. Those fears were squashed when Kale and I walked into Sam and Emily's kitchen the day before my birthday.

"Hey almost-birthday girl! Are you excited for tomorrow?" Emily pulled me to her swollen belly before I had even dropped my backpack.

"Hannah told you?" I asked, my cheeks burning.

"No, Embry did, he wanted to make sure we had enough food for the party."

Uh oh. "What party?"

"The party for your birthday, silly girl, you didn't think that we would just let it go by without a celebration did you?" she asked, turning back to the stove where three large pots of stew were simmering.

That had been exactly what I had been hoping for, actually. I followed Kale into the living room and curled up on the couch to read my latest English book, _Hamlet, _waiting for the guys to get home from their respective jobs. I didn't have to wait long.

"Hey Shorty," Embry collapsed next to me on the couch, dirty and sweaty.

"I don't want a birthday party," I spit out.

"What? Why not?" He asked, turning to face me.

"Birthdays just aren't a big deal for me, I'd rather we just ignore it."

"But it's your birthday," Embry looked so shocked and sad that I felt my resolve begin to weaken. I really didn't want to be the center of attention, but he seemed so disappointed.

"Nothing big, ok?" I relented. "Just a regular barbeque, no cake."

"Whatever you want Shorty, it's your birthday," he grinned and turned to watch whatever game Kale had found while we waited for Emily to call us for dinner.

Since none of my classmates were aware that it was my birthday, I cruised through the day without a single well-wish. The only flaw in the day occurred at lunch when Kale bumped into me in the cafeteria.

"Hey, Bir-" his shout was cut short when I clamped my hand over his mouth. I was stretched as far as my tiny body would allow and I still just covered his lips, so when he tilted his chin up my fingers were no longer an effective muzzle.

"Kale, please don't," I hissed, my eyes pleading.

"Okay little sister, calm down," he laughed pulling me into a one armed hug so fast that my teeth chattered. "I'll just have to tell ya later."

The wink and sly smile that he wore gave me a stomach full of nervous butterflies.

~ * ~

Hannah and I walked around to the back of Sam and Emily's house just after four to find dozens of pink balloons hanging from the house and nearby trees. The deck was packed to the brim with large russet bodies and the lawn had donned dozens of white lanterns. When they caught sight of me, the crowd erupted into a round of "Happy Birthday!" before they came flooding towards us. Damn you Embry Call.

EPOV

Yeah, okay, I know she didn't want a party, but seriously! It's the girl's birthday!

APOV

"Happy Birthday Sweetie!" Emily squealed as she wrapped herself around my shoulders. She pulled me towards the others and I was enveloped in a throng of large men. They all hugged me and I was on the verge of heat stroke by the time I reached Kim.

"Hey baby, here have a drink," she pushed a bottle of water into my hands and I nearly drained it. "They can be overwhelming can't they?"

"A little bit," I agreed.

The barbeque was heavily laden with meat of all sorts, but I could see a delicious spread of salads and pasta on a table in the corner. The boys had all broken off into smaller groups and Emily had disappeared inside, but there was one person that I hadn't seen yet.

"He's here," Kim said, nudging me with her elbow. I looked up at her and blushed. I didn't think that my need to be near Embry had been that obvious, but apparently I was mistaken.

"Don't look so shocked Andy, it's not a big deal," Kim giggled as Jared appeared at her side with a beer. He was just about to say something when someone very big grabbed me from behind and lifted me high into the air.

"Happy fuckin' Birthday little sister!" Kale hollered as I latched onto his arm.

"Put her down you moron," Kim chided, grabbing my foot and trying to pull me down.

"Okay, okay, but that'll teach you for making me wait." I found myself on solid ground once again and slid back into my spot next to Kim. She placed her arm protectively around me and Kale sauntered over to where Seth and Brady were throwing a football. I scanned over the small groups again, but still couldn't see Embry. Kim and Jared were talking about the latest movie that they had seen, and I tried to pay attention.

"Happy Birthday Shorty." I whipped around so fast that I almost lost my balance. He was standing there, smiling, arms wide, and he was looking at me with the look that I loved so much. I knew that my crush was completely inappropriate, but it was there anyway. How could it not be? He was older, sweet, spent all of his free time with me and, oh yeah, was completely gorgeous. I mean drop dead, shoot yourself in the foot sexy. I fell into his outstretched arms and let his warmth surround me.

"This is more than a barbeque Embry," I scolded, my face pressed into his chest.

"I know, but its better, right?" I could hear the hope in his voice, and I had to admit, it was nice. I pulled away from his embrace and gave him a wide smile.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked. Of course. I shook my head and he pointed me towards the barbeque while he headed to the salad table.

I was standing with Rachel next to the barbeque the moment my life changed forever. Emily had taken Claire inside to go to the bathroom, so Quil had taken the opportunity to poke fun at Paul.

"Ah, tough guy, I gotta say I never expected to see you in a ladies underwear store holding a pink purse," he taunted.

"Whatever tea party boy, at least I get laid," Paul snapped back, taking a long swig of beer and shooting Rachel an angry look.

I knew Paul had a short temper, it's something that he and I shared, so I knew it wouldn't take much more for him to snap.

"Well, at least I'm not a pussy-whipped little-" Quil didn't get to finish his sentence because Paul launched himself at him, exploding into a giant fur ball mid-air. He landed on top of Quil, a giant silver wolf, snarling and snapping at Quil's face. Before I could even process what I had seen, Quil himself transformed into a great beast. The two of them tumbled and rolled around on the grass and shredded clothes, a mass of dark silver and chocolate brown, before crashing into the trees. Sam ran after them, shouting and pulling off his shirt, but everyone else was staring at me. I looked around at the various shades of brown eyes studying me.

Embry began taking slow deliberate steps in my direction, and I watched him come as if in slow motion. I had never fainted before in my life, but I suddenly found my world spinning and the lightly stained wood of the deck rushing up to meet me.

Thanks guys! Hope that you liked it and continue to review!

Nikki ;)


	10. Chapter 9: A New World For Both Of Us

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters, they are of course the property of the great SM**

Chapter 9: A New World For Both Of Us

APOV

"Calm down Embry, she'll be fine." The voice of Sam Uley was pushing its way into my fuzzy consciousness.

"Whatever Sam, if she doesn't wake up in five minutes I'm taking her to the hospital," Embry's voice came from very close to my head; he sounded panicked.

Everything was dark, and it took me much longer than it should have to realize that my eyes were closed. My entire body felt heavy and I could feel something soft beneath me. What happened? I tried to fight against the fuzziness and figure out where I was.

"Embry, calm down, your shaking the couch," Kim reprimanded. So that's where I was, a couch.

"Paul's upset, he wants to come in and apologize." Sam again.

Paul… why did hearing his name send a cold chill down my spine? The world around me had begun to clear and I could hear a low growl from close by and people outside; Rachel yelling, Paul groveling, and the word that brought everything back into sharp focus: wolf.

My eyes flew open and I pushed myself upright on Sam and Emily's faded couch. Sam, Kim and Embry were all in the living room and immediately stopped talking to stare at me. I sat very still watching them, not one of us moving an inch.

Over Kim's shoulder, I could see Paul's eyes on me as he headed towards the sliding glass doors. My heart sped and I couldn't breathe as his hand reached out to open it. My brain was screaming at me to react to the monster that was approaching: fight or flight, fight or flight. Flight won and before anyone in front of me could move, I leapt over the back of the couch and ran towards the kitchen.

"Andy wait!" I could hear Embry following me but I kept running. I bolted into the kitchen, nearly slipping when I reached the linoleum. Emily jumped as I entered and I caught sight of Quil sitting at the table with his head in his hands. I was heading to the door at a dead sprint but out of nowhere, Quil was in front of me. It was too late for me to stop so I collided with his solid chest and he wrapped his arms around me, effectively cutting off my escape.

"Let go!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, fighting uselessly against his abnormal strength.

"Andy, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," Quil tried to calm me as Embry took me from his arms.

"Get away from me," I pushed myself from Embry and backed into a corner. They both stared at me with sickened expressions as I trembled, searching desperately for a way out of that house. I could see Emily standing by the table, tears leaking from her sad eyes as Sam held her.

"What are you?" I asked Quil, my voice quivering. To my complete horror it was Embry that answered.

"We're kind of, um… werewolves," he said with a weak grin. I stared at him for a really long time, unable to comprehend what he'd just said.

"We?"

"All of us; Sam, Jared, Seth…" he trailed off when he saw my already pale face blanch. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"I have to get out of here," I whispered, trying to plot an escape route.

"Andy, please sweetie, you're safe. I would never let anything happen to you, you know that," Embry pleaded, reaching a hand slowly in my direction. I shied away from him and he looked like I had slapped him. "Please, just let me explain."

My head was buzzing with thoughts as I tried to process what I had seen. I knew I hadn't dreamt Paul and Quil doing… whatever it is they had done, but looking into Embry's sad eyes, my fear was ebbing. Deep down, my trust for him remained intact. My shaking began to subside and my breathing slowed. Embry took a step forward but I held up my hand, keeping him back. I slowly squeezed my way between him and the wall, making my way back to the living room. They gave me a wide berth as I sat down on the couch, pulling my knees to my chest.

"Talk," I looked at Embry who had sat closest to me on the other side of the couch. Sam, Quil and Jared had followed and now occupied the remaining seats.

"Okay Andy," Embry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess the best place to start would be to tell you the legends of our tribe…"

EPOV

She was a champ. She sat and listened as Sam and I took turns telling her the old legends, then through all the gory details of phasing. Her face had no expression and she didn't say a word as she stared out the window. The only time that she flinched was when we told her about the Cullen's.

"So Nessie's a v-vampire," she whispered, still not looking at me. She hadn't looked at me with anything but fear since Quil and fucking Paul phased right in front of her. Seeing that fear made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to be the one to tell her, preferably when she was a lot older, and defiantly without the shocking visuals.

"She's half vampire, Bella was still human when she was born."

"Bella?" Still not looking at me.

"Yeah, Bella's her mother and Edward is her father. She was born just over four years ago and grows really fast. When she's about seven, she'll look like she's seventeen and she won't grow anymore. She'll never die." I know, information overload, but I figured it was best to get it all out in the open now.

Hannah had made her way into the room and stood behind Quil, looking at Andy with curious apprehension.

"You knew," it was an accusation, not a question.

"Yes, I knew," Hannah responded, staring intently.

Andy nodded her head and I noticed a tear make its way down her cheek, causing my stomach to give an unhealthy lurch.

"Um, okay, I think I need some air," she stood up quicker than I thought she should be moving and started towards the door, careful not to touch anyone.

"Embry," Sam motioned for me to follow her and I rolled my eyes at him as I stood. Did he really think that I wouldn't after all that? With my luck she'd throw herself into the ocean, never to be seen again.

Her pace was quick as she picked her way through the pack members, all of which had hung around for the cake that was unlikely to be cut. She almost made it to the tree line without anyone bothering her when Paul called out to her.

"Andy, hold up, I'm so sorry." Either he didn't notice how she cowered away from him or he didn't care because he kept advancing on her. Her obvious fear triggered a menacing growl to erupt from my chest, causing them both to jump.

"Go Paul," I pointed back up to the house and planted myself between him and Andy. Now normally, Paul wouldn't do what I said just out of spite, but he must have been feeling pretty bad about scaring her because he shot Andy one last apologetic look before darting onto the deck and through the back door.

I turned around in time to see Andy disappear down the path to the beach; I followed slow enough that she had a good lead but I kept her in sight.

She didn't walk very far down the beach before easing herself onto a large rock and burying her face in her arms. I lowered myself down next to her and waited for her to talk. Her silence was the worst part of all of this. After her initial freakout she hadn't said much; nothing that gave me a clue to how she was feeling.

"Andy? Please say something," I begged when my curiosity got the better of me. She lifted her head off her knees and stared directly at me.

"You want me to say something?" she asked, standing up and pacing back and forth. "Fine, you lied to me!" She stopped directly in front of me and screamed. It was crazy how much she reminded me of Paul in that moment.

"Did not." Yeah, real mature Embry, that's the way to smooth this all over.

"You kept this from me, it's the same thing," her voice wavered and I saw the dreaded tears forming in her eyes. "I trusted you!"

"I couldn't tell you, not yet… I'm sorry." It sounded so lame, but there was nothing else I could say. If I could turn back the clock, I'm not sure I would have done anything differently, but that didn't stop me from feeling like I'd failed her every time I saw her tear stained face.

She shook her head and went back to pacing; her hands were shaking she was so angry. I wanted to laugh cause if she had been a wolf she probably would have phased by now.

I sat quietly, watching her blow off steam kicking rocks through the sand and mumbling every once in a while. Finally she sat next to me, staring at the waves as they rolled onto the sand.

She hesitated before whispering, "Are you dangerous?" It was like she didn't want to hear the answer.

"Not to you," I very slowly put my arm around her shoulder, ready to pull it back if she so much as twitched. "I could never hurt you."

To my utter amazement she leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. I exhaled all of my breath in one huge gust, feeling relief spread into my tippy toes. Whatever anger or fear she still held towards me, she was willing to push it aside. We sat there together till the sun was completely gone and the moon reflected off of the ocean in sparkly waves.

I'd been living in fear of this day since I'd met Andy. Having to tell her what we are had caused me a lot of sleepless nights, but now that everything was out in the open I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, she knew so I didn't have to lie anymore, and what's better, she seemed like she was eventually going to be okay with it. On the other hand, the way she found out was beyond bad, and I was gonna make sure that Paul and Quil paid for it. The way she looked at me after, like she thought I was a monster, would haunt me till the day I died.

Eventually we started making our way up the beach, back towards the party. She stayed very close to my side as we made our way up the path and into the backyard where everyone still sat, waiting for us with open arms. As Paul broke away from an angry looking Sam and started in our direction, I pulled Andy even closer and whispered in her ear:

"I know it's been kind of a crazy night, but that doesn't change why we're all here. Happy Birthday Shorty."

APOV

Werewolves. And Vampires. Werewolves and freaking vampires. My mind revolved around these creatures that were supposed to be fictional ever since that fateful birthday party that I didn't want in the first place. Knowing that the people I considered my family were all lying to me had shocked me more than finding out what they really were; my trust felt misplaced. Even sweet little Nessie… my best friend had turned out to be supernatural, although I must say I knew there was something different about her.

The night that I found out about the pack I'd had my worst nightmare yet. When my usual dream ended, the scene changed to one deep in the forest. It was dark, cold, and I was all alone until something large and snarling emerged from the trees. A huge wolf loomed before me and I was paralyzed with fear; it was Embry. It pulled its lips back to reveal gleaming white lips before it lunged at me.

I'd woken up just after three hyperventilating, with no hope of getting back to sleep. After that night, I'd had to drink more to sleep through the night and my original stock was soon depleted. There was only one way that I could think of to get more.

"Nate, I have a favor to ask," I said softly at lunch one day.

"Anything for you pretty girl," Nate whispered. Ever since the party he'd taken me to, Nate had been overly friendly towards me.

"I was wondering…" I trailed off, my cheeks burning crimson. "I need to get another bottle of…"

"Booze?" Nate finished for me, giving me a very skeptical look. "Partying without me?" he asked in mock hurt.

"Not exactly," I flashed him my most charming smile, trying to hide my desperation.

I pulled what little money I had left from San Francisco out of my pocket and handed it to him.

"Will this be enough?"

"Yeah, I'll get Charlie to pick it up later, he's usually good for stuff like this," he replied. "Promise you'll have a drink with me?"

"Yeah, definitely." I promised as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

Nate and Charlie had brought the bottle to Hannah's that night while she was at the grocery store and I'd humored Nate by having a very quick drink with him; my first of the evening. With the increased amount it was taking to get me through the night, I had almost finished the large bottle by the time Emily's due date came and went.

I had no money for another bottle, so I was contemplating ways to increase my funds as I walked to Sam and Emily's one Saturday in late November. Sam was on patrol today, (which I learned meant protecting the reservation from rogue vampires) so I was going to keep Emily company.

"Emily are you sure you should be doing this?" I asked nervously. She was now a week overdue and this nesting thing was getting a tad out of hand. She was presently standing on the counter, sometimes on her tip-toes, cleaning on top of the cabinets.

"Its disgraceful up here, how do I bring a newborn home to this?"

"Then let me do it, you should come down," I reached up to take her hand and help her off of the counter. Once she was safely in a chair with a glass of decaf ice tea I climbed into her place and began cleaning where she left off.

"Andy can I ask you something?" I heard from behind me.

"Of course Emily," I replied, wiping all of the dust into one pile.

"Does, um… does Kim ever ask about me?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see her staring out the kitchen window towards the crashing surf. I wasn't entirely sure how to answer her question. I'd spent a lot of time at Kim and Jared's apartment during the summer, and not once had Kim mentioned Emily. They still weren't on great terms, but until that point no one had mentioned the ever growing distance.

I hadn't even had time to come up with a little white lie when I heard glass shattering behind me. I whipped around to find Emily clutching her belly, surrounded by the sticky remnants of her ice tea.

"Emily?" I hoped down from the counter and ran to her side, ignoring the sting of the glass shards piercing my bare feet.

"My water broke," she gasped, looking up at me with an expression that was pure terror.

"SAM!" I screamed, praying that he would hear me from wherever he was in the forest; he didn't venture too far from Emily these days. For the first time, I was grateful that they had superhuman abilities.

"Owwww," Emily moaned.

"Hang on Emily, I'm sure he's on his way." I stroked her hair and contemplated screaming again. There was a crashing sound coming from the forest behind the house, and Sam burst into the kitchen… completely naked.

"What is it? Is it time?" He crouched next to Emily, who turned to him, smiling and nodding. His face was a mixture of fear and joy.

"Okay, well, let's go! We've got to get you to the hospital!" he cried, gently lifting Emily from the chair and carrying her to the door.

"Wait Sam… pants," Emily giggled.

"Right, uh, sorry Andy," Sam blushed while he gingerly set Emily on her feet near the door before darting down the hall. He reappeared before I had even put my shoes on, clad in his customary cutoffs. I scrawled a note to leave for the pack and followed the soon-to-be parents out the front door.

Sam slid Emily into the backseat of his little blue Toyota and then climbed into the driver's seat. I crawled in next to Emily and buckled her seatbelt, pushing her hair back from her sweaty forehead.

We made it to the hospital in Forks in record time and Sam screeched to a halt just outside of the big front doors.

"How you doin Baby?" he asked as he lifted Emily from the car.

"Okay I think," she puffed.

Sam carried her into the waiting area and checked her in with one of the nurses.

"Will you be okay here?" Sam asked as nurses placed Emily in a wheelchair.

"I'll be fine, I'll wait here for the rest of the pack," I told him. I reached around him to hug Emily lightly around the shoulders.

"Congratulations Mama," I said before she and Sam disappeared around a corner.

I didn't have to wait long before the cramped waiting area was filled to capacity with large half-naked men and their female counterparts. Embry had been one of the first to arrive and rushed to my side immediately.

"You're bleeding," he murmured, lifting me easily to place me on a nearby chair. I followed his gaze to my bare feet which were stained red with blood.

"Oh, Emily dropped her glass back at the house, I stepped in the pieces," I looked up into his eyes and saw pain, like it was him that had been cut. "It doesn't even hurt." I tried to laugh it off, but he called a nurse over and I spent the next hour having my wounds cleaned and bandaged.

The hours passed torturously slow, and while I had no idea what was going on with Emily, I caught the wolves making nauseated faces.

"What is it?" I asked Embry when he winced and sucked in a sharp breath well into the night.

"I can hear Emily screaming; we all can," he replied, giving me a weak smile. "She's like my sister, it hurts to know that she's in so much pain. I can't even imagine what Sam's going through."

Sometime during the night I dosed off, but I was saved from my nightmares by Sam's reappearance.

"Hey, how is she?" Rachel asked.

"Good, they're both perfect," he said with a sleepy grin. "Come on, I have someone to introduce you all to."

Our congregation followed its leader down a long white hallway until we came to a door and into a cozy little room. Sam made his way to the bed and sat next to Emily who was laying with a bundle in her arms. She looked very tired but very happy, and smiled at us as we crowded around her bed.

"Everyone, meet Levi Samuel Uley," she said, her eyes sparkling. He was an adorable baby, the same silky russet skin and jet black hair as his parents with a tiny button nose.

"Hey little cousin," Seth cooed.

"He's beautiful guys," Rachel kissed Emily's hair while Paul clapped Sam on the shoulder.

Emily smiled and accepted everyone's congratulations, but her eyes were continuously scanning the crowd. Eventually, her eyes returned to little Levi and I thought I saw a tear escape under her long lashes. It was then that I realized what was missing, who Emily was looking for. While Jared stood next to Embry, beaming at the newest pack member, Kim was nowhere to be seen.

**We're going to start moving pretty quickly through time now! Keep reading and please, _please_ PLEASE Review!!**

**Thanks, **

**Nikki ;)**


	11. Chapter 10: A Shoulder To Cry On

**Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to post this, but its nice and long! ok, so this chapter is a little busy, a lot of things happening around the same time, so enjoy!!**

**By the way, if you haven't checked out the New Moon trailer, you need to, its awesome!!  
**

**PS- If you enjoy this story (I really hope that you do so far!!) please check out my new story, My Mother's Footsteps. Its definitely not your run-of-the-mill Embry/Leah story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight... sigh**

Chapter 10: A Shoulder To Cry On

APOV

Three days after Levi was born I ran out of vodka.

"What's wrong Sweetie?" Hannah asked me that night before bed. I was curled up on the sofa, my knees tight to my chest.

"Nothing," my reply was short and sweet. I hadn't completely forgiven Hannah for lying to me about the pack; she had become the mother I'd always wanted and it stung to learn that she'd easily lied to me for months. My tiny fib was nothing by comparison; in reality I was having a mild panic attack as bedtime drew closer.

She eyed me for a while longer before I gave up fighting sleep and went to bed.

I woke to find myself surrounded by complete darkness, my pajamas and sheets drenched in cold sweat. It was just after three in the morning, and my hands were shaking so badly that I was having trouble wiping the tears from my face. With no hope for any more sleep, I crept downstairs and poured a glass of water.

"We're back to this again," I said to Angus as he stretched out across a heater in the kitchen. The cold wind blowing off of the ocean seeped through the old house and I shivered in my worn pajamas. I wandered into the living room, flipping through the channels and finding nothing of interest. I leaned into the couch and contemplated cleaning the oven to pass the time, but I knew what I really wanted to do.

I hadn't been to the beach after a nightmare since I'd seen something lurking in the woods, but I had a feeling I now knew what that something was. I pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, wrapped it around my shoulders, and headed out the back door.

The sand was cold on my bare feet as they made their way to the familiar rock that had served me well on many sleepless nights. I pulled my frozen toes under the blanket as I huddled, watching the moonlight bounce off of the waves and thinking about the past month. I'd been thrust into the world of myth and found out that the best friends I'd ever known were actually part of this secret society that protected people from vampires. The news had long since sunk in, and I'd had time to develop a few questions that had escaped me that first night at Sam's.

It didn't take long before I heard something stirring behind me in the trees. I fought the urge to turn and look; there was only one thing out there big enough to make all that noise and they posed no threat; at least not to me.

"It's been a long time since you've come out here," Embry spoke softly as he sat next to me in the semi-darkness.

"It's kind of creepy that you know that," I shifted my weight to bump him. "Why did you watch me, anyway?"

I could see his forehead crinkle in the dim light. "I had to make sure you were safe," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, why didn't you just come sit with me then, instead of stalking me from the bushes?"

"That would have been a little hard to explain, don't ya think?" he laughed. "Besides, I was usually just ending a patrol around sunrise and you didn't stay much longer than that."

Knowing that this incredibly hot guy was worried about me made me feel, I don't know… special. My crush was growing to epic proportions; I didn't know what I was going to do when Embry brought a girl around, but I knew that it would _not_ be pretty.

"Why are you out here anyway? Isn't it way past your bedtime?" Embry taunted, and although he was trying to get a rise out of me, he waited expectantly for an answer.

"I have trouble sleeping sometimes," I answered slowly, still unable to completely lie to him.

He nodded and seemed satisfied with my watered down version of the truth. We sat in silence until I shivered; the cold night air had long since infiltrated my blanket. He wrapped a long, muscled arm around my waist and pulled me to his side, the warmth from his body seeping into my bones.

"You're so warm," I mumbled, snuggling my face into his chest.

"Yeah, it's kind of a wolf thing…" he trailed off. We hadn't really discussed the physical part of being a werewolf, just that they were here to protect La Push from vampires. I was curious, but had avoided this conversation because I was afraid that it would make it more real.

"So you're really warm… what else?"

"Well, being this warm I don't really get sick, we're strong, big," I could tell he was holding something back.

"What?"

"We don't age," he said, watching my face carefully. "None of us, until we stop phasing we'll stay the age we are now."

Well, now that was an interesting tidbit. I thought about him being this beautiful forever when a thought occurred to me.

"Embry, how old_ are_ you?"

"I'm twenty remember? Stop looking at me like that," he gently ruffled my hair and I wiped the disgusted look off my face. I had remembered that he'd told me that the first time we'd met, but he wasn't exactly being completely honest back then.

"Are there many vampires in La Push?" Now that I had started asking questions, I couldn't seem to stop myself.

"Nah, we keep them pretty much under control." It could have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that his chest puffed out when he said that. It was then that I realized what really mattered here. Sure, I would have a hard time knowing about the supernatural world, but Embry was very proud of what he did. He protected his family and friends; no matter how he did it, it was noble.

"Do any of you ever get hurt?" After seeing Paul and Quil fight I was sure that there was nothing out there stronger than them, but I had to be sure that he wasn't in any danger.

"Mmm, Jared got pretty messed up last year by a small group, but he was by himself till we caught up," he began to laugh. "Kim was freaking pissed."

My brow furrowed. "So, you could get hurt?" I questioned. "How strong are they?" I'm sure he could hear the panic in my voice.

"Hey, its okay, we're really careful, it's a fluke if they catch us on our own," he said soothingly, but seeing that I wasn't convinced added, "and we heal really, really fast… look!"

He found a shape rock and picked it up, raking it against his arm.

"Embry, don't!" I moved to grab the rock, but the damage had been done and blood trickled from large scratch.

"It's okay, look, it already stopped bleeding." I watched, my mouth agape as the wound healed right before my eyes until it was nothing more than a thin, pink line on his forearm.

"That's incredible," my voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah it _is_ pretty cool," Embry grinned.

As much as I wanted to continue my interrogation, my mouth stretched in a huge yawn and I suddenly felt very tired.

"It's late," Embry said, wrapping the blanket more securely around me. "You should try to get some sleep."

"No!" I said louder than I expected. No matter how tired I was, I wouldn't be able to handle another nightmare. "Can't we just stay here?" I asked, my voice a little sweeter than before.

"Whatever you want Shorty," he smiled. I settled my head back against his chest and let his heartbeat lull me into a state that was so close to sleep it was almost blissful.

~*~

Levi grew like a bad weed. He was such a good, quiet baby; an important trait for someone who is passed around like a hot potato. At first the burly men were afraid to touch the soft little infant, even Sam, but as time passed and Levi got bigger and stronger, they got more comfortable holding him.

Kim still hadn't seen the baby, and every time the door opened Emily would look up quickly, only to be disappointed. So when it came time for Levi's blessing ceremony, no one was surprised when Jared arrived alone.

There was however, one arrival that surprised everyone. Every wolf raised their head at the exact same moment, each wearing a confused look.

"Well holy shit," Paul mumbled as we heard the front door open.

"So where's the pup?" Jacob Black called as he entered the kitchen. It took everyone about two seconds to realize that he was actually standing there before the screaming started. Rachel launched herself at him and clung around his shoulders, tears threatening to escape from her tightly closed eyes.

"Glad you could make it, brother," Sam clapped him on the shoulder, obviously thrilled that the other leader had arrived to meet his son.

Everyone else surged forward and I lost sight of Jake for a moment, which allowed my vision to shift slightly. Jacob hadn't made the trip alone.

"Nessie!" I cried, leaping around the group mauling Jake to wrap my arms around the girl who had grown inches since I'd last seen her. Half-vampire or not, she was still my best friend.

"Andy, I missed you so much," she returned my hug with more strength than I was anticipating. She'd had a birthday since we'd last seen each other, and she was probably the biggest four year old in existence.

Jake and Nessie made their way around the kitchen, greeting and hugging the family that they had left behind. Unlike the other members of the pack, Jake didn't hesitate when he reached Emily, lifting Levi from her arms and bouncing him.

"Nessie didn't even stay this small for three days," he cooed, making googoo eyes at the baby.

"I bet you would have been a cute baby," I smiled at the gorgeous girl next to me.

"Would you like to see?" she asked. I smiled and nodded, waiting for her to pull out a picture. Instead I felt Embry stiffen on my other side as Nessie took my hand in hers and Emily's kitchen fell away, replaced by Nessie's Aunt Rosalie standing in a white bedroom in front of a large, ornate mirror.

"That's you, pretty baby," she said in a soft voice to the small child in her arms. The infant was pale, with deep brown eyes and a crown of bronze curls. I was right, Nessie had been an adorable baby.

The scene faded quickly and I found myself back in the kitchen with Embry growling quietly beside me.

"Don't use your freaky bloodsucker powers on her," he snarled. Jake handed Levi back to Emily, who rushed him out of the room, before standing directly in front of us.

"Calm down Em," he said sternly. The growling ceased, but Embry was still breathing very heavily.

"It's okay Embry," I smiled up at him before turning back to my little friend. "How did you do that?"

"We 'bloodsuckers'," she stuck her tongue out at Embry, "sometimes have special abilities. I can show you any thought, feeling, or memory I have; that one was from the day I was born."

My brain was on a serious information overload, so as everyone else made their way outside where the ceremony was to take place, I stayed in the kitchen and downed a beer from the fridge. I placed the empty bottle with the others and turned to go outside when a flash of green caught my eye. I turned to the counter where Rachel's purse lay open, a twenty dollar bill peeking out. My nights were becoming harder and harder, and my lack of sleep had me desperate, so I did something I thought I'd never do: I snatched the bill and shoved it into the front pocket of my jeans.

_I'll pay her back_, I promised myself, leaning against the counter. I never wanted this; stealing from my friends so that I could sleep through the night. No, I couldn't do this. Rachel and Paul had been great towards me, they didn't deserve this. I reached into my pocket to put the money back when I heard the door open behind me.

"Hey stranger, long time, no see," Kale stood in a t-shirt, oblivious to the chilly November weather. "They're ready to start." He picked up my coat and handed it to me. I tried to clear the shock from my face as I took it and followed him into the backyard, the money still in my pocket.

~*~

The blessing was beautiful; Emily and Sam were beaming as Old Quil held him high into the air (with the help of Jake) and presented him to the gods. The entire pack was there, laughing and celebrating with the new parents, and for once Emily didn't get anywhere near the kitchen.

"Can you hand me the cutting board Andy?" Rachel asked. We had snuck away from the party in order to ice the cake that we had baked in the shape of a bottle; Rachel's time in culinary school was really starting to pay off.

"It's kind of crazy that they came back right?" I asked, looking through the glass door towards Nessie and Jake. They were somehow mounting a snowball attack on Quil, Claire and Jared from the previous nights light dusting. "I mean, they didn't even tell anyone."

"Yeah, that's Jake, he's very theatrical," Rachel smiled. She missed Jake the most out of everyone he'd left behind. Paul told me once that he was the only reason she had come back after college in the first place. The door opened and I turned to see Jared shaking the snow out of his hair. He gave me a sad smile before joining everyone else in the living room.

"This has been tough on him," Rachel said, arranging freshly chopped banana slices on the chocolate-bottle nipple.

"What has?"

"Whatever's going on between Kim and Emily. Since Kim won't come over anymore, he feels like he's spilt down the middle, like he has to choose between his pack and his fiancé. Its his job and his responsibility to be out protecting La Push, and these guys are his brothers, but every time he's here he feel's like he's betraying her. He wants to help her but she won't even tell him what's wrong." She finished decorating the cake and stood back to examine her work.

"Wow, how do you know all that?" I asked as I collected plates and forks.

"He told me, broke down at our place one night and then made me swear not to tell a soul," she said with a smile.

"Well… why are you telling me then?" Rachel and I got along fine, but we weren't exactly sharing gossip about the pack just yet.

"Because I need your help," she turned to me fully, her height and fierce eyes very intimidating. "Kim won't talk to me, I kind of took Emily's side in the beginning of this whole mess. We need to fix this for the sake of the pack; Kim trusts you, you have to talk to her."

"When should I go?" I knew she was right, I may not have been around for very long, but I could see what the feud was doing to the pack.

"I'll put this in the fridge," she lifted the cake from the table, "and we'll wait for you."

"Now? You want me to go talk to her now?" I asked flatly.

"No time like the present Andy," she pushed me gently towards the front door.

~*~

"Kim?" I called, looking around the small apartment. Jared had promised Kim a house when he had proposed, but until it was built they lived above the convenience store. She didn't respond, but I could hear water sloshing so I headed for the bathroom.

"Kim, what are you doing?" She was standing in the half full bathtub, scrubbing the shower walls like her very life depended on their cleanliness.

"The apartment was filthy," she grunted, the water in the tub splashing around her ankles as she moved. Her face was twisted in concentration, the skin stretched taut over her wide cheekbones.

"Kim, what's wrong?" I asked, reaching out and took the sponge from her. She slowly dropped her hand to her side and her eyes closed.

"Kim?" I watched in utter horror as one of the strongest people I'd ever known started to sob, tears streaking down her face. She started to sway and I quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, leading her out of the bathtub and leaving a wet trail to the living room.

"Kim, do you want me to get Jared?" I'd never seen this kind of pain pouring out of one person before, and it scared me. She and Jared were so close, so utterly bonded that if she were in this much pain, she'd want his comfort.

"N-no!" she cried between sobs, leaving me at a loss for words. I sat next to her on the couch and waited for her tears to subside. Finally, after crying more than anyone should be able to cry, I heard her whisper.

"Jared can't know."

"Jared can't know what?" I asked, positive that I didn't want to know the answer.

She paused before answering me, her eyes filling with more tears.

"I can't have kids," she leaned forward, putting her face in her hands. I, meanwhile, had frozen in place. I had no idea how to comfort this poor girl; this was grown-up stuff, and I was terribly unequipped to handle it.

"Kim, I'm sure-" I began.

"I found out a few years ago," she cut me off. "I had cancer and the doctor told me…" she stopped and sniffed.

"Kim… I'm so sorry." What else could I say?

Kim barked a loud, sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, and the best part of this whole goddamn mess is that I'm probably going to lose Jared!" She threw her hands into the air and began pacing while I stared at her, confused. Jared adored her, there's no way this could split them up.

"I mean, seriously!" she ranted, unleashing months of pent up emotion. "If Sam's right about imprinting being all about reproduction, why would Jared imprint on me? It was after the Doc told me I'm barren, so there was never a chance of any little puppies. So now what? Will he imprint on someone else and leave me behind? I can't handle that, I can't lose him!" She was on the borderline of hysterics so I did what I'd seen in some old movies that Embry and I had watched over the summer: I slapped her.

"Kim! It'll be okay, Jared loves you," I reasoned, praying the look of rage that had appeared on her face would soon fade. While her eyes lost some of their ferocity, she made a point of rubbing her red cheek as she sat back down.

"So that's why you've been angry with Emily?" I guessed.

"I'm not mad at Emily," she sighed. "I'm jealous. I want that for myself, for us, someday and it's killing me knowing that I can't. I look at Emily, and I see everything I can't have." She leaned back into the couch, seeming relieved to finally have everything out in the open.

"Kim," Something she'd said was tugging at my memory. "What's imprinting? You mentioned it a few times…" Kim's face had flushed of all color and her eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Um… what?" she cleared her throat and strode quickly into the kitchen.

"Wait Kim!" I ran after her. "What? Is it something to do with the wolves?"

"Yeah, kind of," she took a beer from the fridge. She was only nineteen, but the boys all looked like they were in their mid-twenties so they were never asked for I.D.

"It's when they see their soul mate, their other half, for the first time after they phase" she said, taking a long swig. "Jared imprinted on me in our senior year, Sam and Emily have quite the imprint story, and Paul imprinted on Rachel. It's the bond that they feel towards us."

"Will they all imprint?" Please say no.

"Probably, eventually." She said, finishing her beer. "You know, I think we should go see Emily; I'd like to meet the pack's first cub." She headed for her bedroom and I was left alone in the kitchen, trying to catch my breath. The thought of Embry Call finding and falling in love-at-first-sight with his soul mate made me nauseous.

I used the counter to support myself as I tried to calm down. He was five years older than me and obviously wanted nothing more than friendship between us. I gave my head a well deserved shake; this teeny tiny was getting way out of hand.

**A/N Okay, so the Nessie/Jacob visit was self-indulgence of the worst kind, but I had a request for a conversation with Nessie and I like to give my readers what they want!! **

**Awesome guys, thanks again for reading and review, review REVIEW!! **

**Nikki ;)**


	12. Chapter 11: Why, Oh Why?

**AN: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! This whole chapter is from Embry's POV so it was a little harder to write and there are some things i'm not entirely happy with. Anywho, enjoy guys!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

Chapter 11: Why, Oh Why Are Teenagers So Difficult?

EPOV

"What do you mean you told Andy about imprinting?" I half shrieked at Kim. I swear, I love that girl like a sister, but seriously! If she wasn't currently sitting next to Jared, (Who's a bit bigger than me) I would be tempted to slap her forehead.

"We were talking and it just kind of slipped out," she looked at me with sad eyes. I covered my face with my hands and I felt her small hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry Embry."

"I know," I told her, dragging me hands down my face until my fingers rested under my chin.

"So what, she knows about imprinting now. It's not like that's the scariest part of us," Quil said between bites of chicken. His mom had taken pity on us and cooked a big bird with all the trimmings.

"Okay then, how about I go tell Claire everything?" I snapped. A fork full of potatoes froze halfway to his open mouth.

"That's not funny dude," he finally said before cramming the food into his face.

"I know its not, I didn't want Andy to know about that yet either. I don't want her to feel like she has to love me someday." I finished quietly. I already loved her; she was the coolest little sister ever and as her big brother substitute, I wasn't going to let her feel pressured, even by the imprint.

"She'll love you because you're gonna be everything she needs," Kim said confidently as she and Jared made goo-goo eyes at each other. Peachy, there goes my breakfast.

~*~

With Christmas coming up, I was on the fence whether to get Andy anything or not. She told me that her parents, shitty as they were, always managed to make Christmas somewhat special. I really wanted to get something for her, but I also didn't want to seem overbearing.

**Hmm, that might be a little creepy. **Paul's voice was in my head as I thought about going through Andy's music to see what CD's she had.

**I know, but I don't know what else to get her.** It was very early in the morning and Paul and I were alone on patrol, waiting for Sam and Brady to take over.

**Hey man, don't sweat it; she'll like what ever you get her. I got Rachel the complete second season of The Simpson's for her birthday and she loved it so much I got her the third season for Christmas**. Even mentally Paul was a smug bastard, but I had just the thing to take him down a peg.

**Yeah, I heard her tellin Kim about that, man. I'd maybe rethink the third season if I were you**. As I thought about it, the conversation I'd overheard at Jared and Kim's played in my head and Paul got to hear just how much Rachel liked The Simpsons.

Paul started adding up how much earrings were going to cost him, and I racked my brain thinking of an appropriate, friendly present for Andy. Out of no where, the perfect idea came to me.

**Hey, that's pretty good… you mind if I-**

**No way dude, that's all I got and you can't have it. **The sun peeked through the trees just as we made it to Sam's house. We phased in the woods and walked into the backyard in time to see Brady skip down the deck stairs and Sam kiss Levi on the forehead and hand him to Emily.

"Off early boys?" he asked, giving us a disapproving look before the two headed through the trees in the direction we came from. Technically, we weren't supposed to phase back until the next shift came on, but we hadn't so much as smelled a vamp in forever so we were all a little slack.

Paul made a goofy face and stuck his tongue out in Sam's direction before leading the way into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Mmm, pancakes," Paul sniffed the air. I passed the food and picked Levi up, leaving Emily's arms free to finish the small breakfast. With most of the younger pack members still in high school, there wasn't the same meal time crowd as in the summer. Only on rare days (like today) did one of them have to miss school, but we had a house that needed to be finished before it snowed too much so it was all hands on deck.

"Hey little guy," I cooed as I bounced the warm little bundle. I used to be afraid that I'd break him, but now that Levi had put on a few pounds it wasn't so bad.

"Dig in boys," Emily said, placing a towering stack of pancakes on the table. I did pretty good, balancing Levi in one arm and eating at the same time so that Emily could take a shower in peace. She reappeared about the time Paul licked his plate clean with her wet hair swinging almost to her waist.

"Paul, Rachel's going to Port Angeles today, right?" She asked as Paul cleared the table and filled the sink with soapy water. Emily had been extra busy since Levi was born so we had taken to doing our own dishes.

"Yeah, she's got a job interview," Paul swelled with pride. Rachel had a psychology degree, but since returning to La Push after graduation hadn't used it. She worked at a restaurant in Forks because there were no jobs in her field close enough for her to drive to, so when the psychologist at the high school in Port Angeles retired Rachel had applied.

"Awesome, do you think she could pick me up some body butter?"

"What?" Paul and I asked together.

"It's like lotion," Emily sighed; she was used to being surrounded by ignorant guys.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure she'll get you some," Paul turned back to the syrup covered plates.

"Perfect, let me get you some cash," Emily grabbed her purse from the hook by the door and rummaged through it.

"That's weird," she murmured. "I could have sworn I had some in here." She dug around for another minute before giving up and shrugging. "Baby-brain I guess, I'm always forgetting things. Never mind Paul, I'll just wait until next week."

"No worries Emily, I don't have a problem spending money on the first lady to bake me a birthday cake," Paul smiled at Emily. Paul's parents were kinda like Andy's; they didn't pay much attention to him when he was a kid, probably why they were both prone to angry outbursts.

"Thanks Paul, I'll pay you back. I just can't understand, I know I took cash out and Sam's afraid of my purse so he wouldn't have taken it."

I stifled a very girlish giggle.

"The same thing happened to Rachel last week, Emily, you're not alone." Paul put the last dish away and stretched his long arms above his head. "Well, time to head out, long day ahead."

I handed Levi back to Emily and thanked her again for breakfast before following my brother out the door and towards a full day of work. Leading a double life sure was exhausting.

~*~

The plan was for everyone to get together on Christmas Eve at Sam's for dinner because it would have been hard to get away from our families on Christmas day, especially for the younger wolves.

"Are you excited for Santa?" Andy asked Claire, bouncing the little girl on her knee. I'd known Claire most of her life and between the presents and extra sugary food her hyper-activity had doubled.

"Yeah!" her shrill voice was too much for those of us with superhuman hearing so the wolves vacated the kitchen and crowded around the sparkling tree in the living room.

Some old movie was on TV and _Silver Bells_ rang over the speakers. I had Andy's present in my pocket and I gotta say, I done good. Now I just had to find the perfect time to give it to her. The party was almost over and I hadn't been able to get her away from Claire or Levi all night.

"Okay Claire, time to go," Vicki, Emily's sister and Claire's mother called. She knew about us, hard not to tell her when Quil, a grown man, practically stalked her child.

"No!" Claire whined. She jumped off Andy's lap and wrapped herself around Quil's leg, something she hadn't done in years.

"Aw, Princess, how will Santa find you if you're not home in bed?" Quil asked, gently prying her off of him. She gave him a devastating pout before crossing her arms and stomping through the door into the falling snow. He hesitated for about a second before following her; I knew exactly how he felt. If Andy walked away from me anything less than happy I would have to follow her.

With Claire gone, I finally had my chance.

"Andy, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure Embry," she smiled, standing up and following me outside. The snow was falling, but it was too wet to stick around so the deck was clear. I leaned against the railing and she stood next to me, staring at me expectantly.

"So… are you excited about Santa?" I mimicked her question to Claire, earning a smile. I had gotten quite good at that in the six months that she'd been here.

"Oh yeah," she giggled. "I won't be the one with a lump of coal in my stocking."

"What?" I faked astonishment (I know, big word for me!), popping my eyes wide.

"Mmm," her teeth chattered and for the first time I thought about how cold she must be. I took her outside when it was snowing and didn't even get her a coat? I was a terrible excuse for an imprinter.

"Jeez Andy, you must be freezing, lets go back in." I started to move towards the house.

"No!" she almost yelled, her cheeks flaming. "Um, it's not that bad. You wanted to talk about something?"

"Yeah," I said, standing as close to her as possible, hoping my body heat would warm her up. I reached my hand into my pocket just as the door opened and Kim popped her head out.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said with a sly grin, "but Hannah's here to pick you up."

"Oh, well, it's not important," I mumbled, shifting away.

"Come over tomorrow," the words spilled from her lips quickly and she looked as surprised as I was that she'd said them. Not wanting to give her time to retract the offer, I accepted immediately.

"Sure, absolutely."

"Okay, well goodnight," she said. "Merry Christmas Embry."

I watched her walk into the house and hug Emily before leaving me.

~*~

My mom woke me up the next morning by beating me on the head with my overstuffed stocking.

"Wake up Sweetie, Santa came!" she said. Even though I lived on my own now, it was Christmas so I stayed in my old room at my mom's place.

"Ma, what time is it?" The sky didn't seem light enough to be morning, but I knew that Mom had to work today. For as long as I could remember she had taken an extra shift at the diner on Christmas day, leaving me with Quil's family. Because there was never a dad in the picture, money was tight so she worked as many extra hours as she could get.

"Just after six, but I wanted you to open your present before I leave." She shook me again. I rolled out of bed and followed her to the living room where I opened my new sneakers (you tend to go through a lot phasing) and I gave her a pretty silver pendant I picked up in Port Angeles.

She left before seven and I ran home to shower and change. Quil would be at his parent's or Claire's all day so, not wanting to be alone, I made the trip to Andy's a little earlier than I had planned.

When I reached Hannah's house, I could hear them inside and I could definitely smell frying bacon. I hadn't knocked on that door in months and I didn't that day; I let myself in and headed for the living room.

"Good morning Embry," Hannah said warmly as she stuffed a huge amount of colorful paper into a garbage bag. I flopped onto the couch next to Andy, who was shuffling through a stack of CD's. The second I hit the couch I smelled something strange. Hannah had gone back into the kitchen and Andy wasn't paying any attention to me so I sniffed her as quietly as I could and nearly gagged. She smelled like she had taken a bath in vodka.

"What?" she asked, giving me a confused look when I leaned away from her. I was conflicted; tell my fourteen year old imprint that she smells like a bar and demand an explanation or figure it out for myself. Like the coward I was, I took the easy way out.

"What did you get for Christmas?"

Andy showed me all of the things that Hannah had gotten her before we ate breakfast. The present I brought Andy was still tucked safely in my pocket, but I was suddenly nervous about giving it to her. Hannah had gone a little overboard and spent a lot of money and my present didn't cost a dime.

We had just finished breakfast when the phone rang. Hannah jumped up to answer it; she was waiting for a call from her daughter, who had moved to Canada a few years back. Her smile disappeared though when she heard the voice on the phone.

"Andy, it's for you Honey," she said, holding out the receiver. I watched the color drain from Andy's face as she jumped up and took the phone.

"Hello?" She turned away from me, but I could still hear every word.

"_Hey Baby, Merry Christmas!_" a cracking female voice answered.

"Hi Mom, how are you?" Andy answered in a toneless voice.

"_I'm good Sweetie, I miss you so much,_" I could hear the sobs from the other end of the line, but Andy's voice stayed dead.

"Yeah, miss you too Mom."

"_Look, we don't get a lot of time, and your dad wants to say hi so I'll talk to you soon Baby!_"

"No, Mom, that's okay, I-" Andy was cut off by a low voice.

"_Andy?_"

"Hi Daddy," the strong, monotone voice she had used with her mother disappeared. Her father must really be somethin if just a phone call can trigger that kind of fear.

"_How are you?_" He sounded bored, like he was only talking to her because he had to. That piece of garbage is damn lucky that he's locked up safely out of my reach.

"Good Dad," she was so quiet even I could barely hear her. "How are you?"

"_Is that a joke? I'm rotting in here because of-_" I heard the smack of skin on skin from his end of the line. "_Look, I gotta go, I'll talk to ya later_." The line clicked off before Andy could even open her mouth to say goodbye. I'd always thought it was stupid the way Paul still loved his old man and defended him to teachers and cops when we were younger. Andy was the same; she still loved them after the cuts healed and the bruises faded.

She hung the receiver back in the cradle and turned to face us. I could see the tears forming in her eyes and decided that this was as good a time as any.

"I have something for you," I stood up and walked into the living room with Andy on my heels. I had no speech, so I just thrust my hand in my pocket and dropped the little wooden figure into her outstretched hand.

"Wow, Embry," she gasped.

"Jake made it, I didn't really do anything," I stared at my feet as she examined the wooden wolf. It had taken me a few days scouring the beach to find a big enough piece of wood the exact color of my fur. Billy taught Jake to make them and he had made one for Bella when she was still human. They were more impressive when they were smaller, but she could set this one on a table or something.

"I love it, thank you," she smiled at me, her tears long gone. "But I didn't get you anything."

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing really."

"How did you get it?" she asked. "Jake and Nessie are still on the east coast."

"I, um, kinda ran over there the other night." I was impressed by the speed of the journey, but Andy looked freaked out.

"You can run that fast?"

"Sure," I scoffed. "No biggie."

"Okay guys, I cooked so you guys get to clean up!" Hannah called, ducking her head into the living room. I spent the rest of the day listening to horrible, twangy music (which didn't sound so bad when Andy sang along) and trying to make her forget that her parents had even called.

~*~

New Year's Eve was going to be a bust. We'd caught the scent of a vamp on the rez so there were three of us on patrol all night and Andy was going to a friend's place to hang out so I was going to drag Seth and Kale up there to check on her.

**Embry, man, if she's with who I think she's with, she's not at anyone's house; she's down at that big beach party.** Kale's simple words made the hair on my back stand up.

**What the fuck do you mean?** I tried to think of who Andy said she was going to be with.

**Nate. Em, I gotta tell you, I don't trust that kid. **Kale was my eyes and ears at Andy's school so I trusted his judgment. If he didn't like the punk, neither did I. I may not be the smartest guy on the rez, but I had a plan forming in my head that Pinky and the Brain would be proud of.

**No Embry, Sam's gonna be so pissed if we're not on patrol.** Seth's whiny thoughts were loud in my head but I barely registered them.

I took off at a dead run in the direction of First Beach, the place Kale thought of when he was talking about the party. The boys were hot on my tail and we got to the beach in no time. We phased and headed towards the dim lights of bonfires.

"Embry maybe this isn't such a good idea," Kale hissed in my ear. He regretted telling me about this party now that we were storming down the frigid beach half naked. Well, too late now, we were NOT turning around. Fuck that. I could make out a few bonfires up ahead and I could smell the booze-soaked teenagers that huddled around them.

"Calm down, Em," Seth placed a hand on my shoulder but I shook it off. I didn't want his comfort or his level head getting in the way of what I had to do. If I was right, tonight was going to be hard enough without premature guilt.

When we reached the first group of bundled-up, drunken kids they immediately stopped their mindless chatter to watch us as we passed. They all squinted in our direction, obviously wondering if they were really seeing three shirtless men marching through the sand.

"Kale?" a tall girl with short hair stepped away from the crowd.

"Oh, hey Brit," Kale stopped to talk to the girl, rubbing the back of his neck. Paul and I were going to have to talk to the kid about being a pack. Bros before hoes. Right Embry, you embarrass him at a high school party because of your imprint and you want to lecture him?

Unlike the first bonfire we passed, the kids we approached now laughed and drank, ignoring us.

"Maybe she's not here," Seth said hopefully. I was tempted to agree with him, but as I scanned the large crowd, I saw a face that had liquid fire spreading through my body. Nate had his head tipped back, a hose between his lips, and surrounded by guys who were screaming "CHUG! CHUG!"

The growl rolled in my chest and I started towards him with Seth right on my heels. I was gonna make this kid wish he'd never set his filthy eyes on Andy. I was ten feet away from him when I was stopped by the one thing that could keep my hands from around the punk's neck.

It was a clear, cold night, but I was suddenly surrounded by the smell of summer rain; warm and fresh. I turned to see Andy and another girl sitting in the cold sand, their legs a tangled mess as they laughed hysterically. I shot one last look at Nate, wishing I could get just one punch in, before pushing Seth in Andy's direction.

"Andy," I said loudly over the music blaring from a nearby truck. When she turned to look at me, her smile vanished and she tried to stand up too quick, falling into Seth's outstretched arms.

"E-Embry, what're you doin here?" Her usually great speech flew out the window and I could smell the burn of vodka on her breath.

"We're leaving," I said, taking her from Seth and starting to drag her away from the fire.

"Wait! Where you goin, Andy?" Her little friend had heaved herself off the ground and staggered after us.

"Home Cass, I'll see you at school," Andy blushed, trying to get us out of there relatively unnoticed.

"No!" The girl whined. "It's too early! Nate, Andy's tryin to leave!" Perfect. I could see the punk's head snap up and start to move through the crown in our direction.

"Let's just go Em," Seth said. Andy nodded in agreement, her eyes begging me to leave. As much as I wanted to pound the living day-lights out of Nate, it would hurt her and I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Fine," I huffed, putting my hand on Andy's back and pushing her ahead of me.

"Whoa, whoa, what's goin on?" I felt the cold, weak hand on my shoulder and balled my hands into fists as I turned around. Pretty boy was retracting his hand and looked like he regretted touching me. He had way to much gel in his hair and his clothes were way too perfect. I honestly couldn't see why Andy liked the guy.

"Can I help you?" I asked, leaning in his direction. Okay, maybe I was enjoying the look of terror a little too much, but this kid had it comin. If it weren't for him, Andy wouldn't be a fourteen year old drunk.

"Embry, please!" Andy pulled on my big hand with both of hers.

"Stay away from her, do you hear me?" I snarled. Nate took a shaky step back and I turned, pulling Andy behind me. I needed to put some distance between me and the punk, so when Andy stumbled for the second time, I pulled her into my arms and carried her. I could hear the crowd shouting behind us so I quickened my pace.

"Kale!" I called as we passed the last bonfire. He was still talking to that girl and seemed disappointed that we were leaving so soon. We were about ten minutes from Sam's house so we headed in that direction. I couldn't take Andy back to Hannah's and I hadn't told my mom about my teenage imprint, (she was still trying to process me turning into something furry) so that seemed like the best place to go.

We were about halfway there when Andy started to squirm in my arms.

"Put me down Embry," she gasped. I set her gently in the sand and she crawled a few steps before she puked. My own body ached watching her heave and the smell must have gotten to Kale because he took off gagging.

Andy pushed herself back, sitting with her head between her knees. Now that we were a good distance away from her friends, I felt the need to lecture. This, Quil said, was the hard part about having a young imprint; you sometimes had to teach them right from wrong.

"Feel better?" I asked. The words were nice enough, but Seth heard the anger behind them.

"Embry, maybe we should take her to Emily?" he asked, reaching for Andy's arm.

"Leave her Seth," I crossed my arms across my chest. "Go to Sam's, we'll meet you there."

He looked like he was afraid to leave her alone with me, but he sauntered off down the beach anyway. I may not be the Alpha, but I was higher than Seth on our little totem pole.

When he was far enough away that I couldn't hear his footsteps, I took a deep breath and looked down at Andy.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" I asked, my voice calm and even.

"I was just hanging out with some friends." She said without meeting my eye.

"You're drunk off your ass!" Slightly less calm.

"It was just a few drinks Embry," she moaned, leaning over to hurl again.

"Okay, but this isn't the first time Andy, you drank before."

"Have not."

"Damn it Andy, I smelled it on you Christmas morning!" I exploded. I never yelled at her before, but imprinting was all about giving them whatever they needed and right now, she needed to be yelled at. "How long has this been going on?"

"A while Embry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?" she screamed at me, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No," I said quietly, sitting down next to her. I was scared; none of the other imprints had problems like this and I didn't know what to do. "Andy, your fourteen, you shouldn't be drinking. If those kids pressured you…"

"It's not like that… well it might have started like that but not anymore. I don't drink just because they do." She sniffed and turned her face away from me.

"Then why?" I honestly didn't understand. Sure, we all had a beer here and there, but none of us drank to get drunk.

She shifted in the cold sand; the snowfall from the week before didn't stick around.

"Because I can't sleep without it," she whimpered. "Do you remember when I used to go to the beach at night? It was because I was having nightmares about my dad. I was so tired and after the first time I drank I slept the entire night… I couldn't bring myself to stop."

"You drink every night?" Oh god, what have I gotten myself into? I was in way over my head.

She nodded her head and blushed.

"Andy, that's a lot of booze… how can you even afford it?" The red in her cheeks moved down her neck and she put her head on her knees, sobbing. It took me a minute to put two and two together.

"It's you! You've been taking money from the pack?" I was horrified. My imprint, my sweet little Andy, was stealing from my family.

"I'm so s-sorry!" she wailed. "I didn't know w-what else to d-do!"

"Aw, Shorty, you gotta stop this! You need to talk to somebody," I shook my head. She was done drinking, that was for damn sure. I was going to have to cut shifts so that she wouldn't be alone, but it was worth it if she was healthy.

"I don't want to see a s-shrink," she moaned. Okay, imprinter to the rescue.

"Talk to me then."

"I don't know…" she began, but apparently booze loosened her tongue because soon she was telling me about every time her father had laid a hand on her. It was hard for me to listen to her describe the injuries, but I kept myself from phasing.

She talked until she was to tired to continue so I lifted her into my arms and started towards Sam's.

"I can't face them," she mumbled into my chest.

"Yes you can. They love you, you're family," I said, planting a kiss on top of her head. "And I'm gonna give them back the money you took."

"You don't have to," she said, closing her eyes.

"I want to, then you just owe me… and I know exactly how you can pay it off."

She gave me a strange look and opened her mouth to say something but someone called to us from the darkness.

"Embry, that you?" My overprotective Alpha strolled towards us. "I was coming to make sure that you were both still breathing. Seth told us what happened," he added so quiet only I could hear him.

"We should get back to the house," I said, giving Andy a squeeze when she cringed. "Andy has something she wants to tell you."

**K guys, i know it jumped around a bit but its an important chapter and we're about two chapters away from some HUGE stuff!! please review and thanks so much for reading guys!!**

**ps- I know the wolf-figure thing has been done over and over but it is special and any ordinary present just wouldn't do!**

**Thanks Guys!**

**Nikki ;)**


	13. Chapter 12: Making Amends and Movies

**Hey guys, I just want to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing since the beginning. A big shout out goes to noamg for reading and reviewing every chapter (even from my other story!). This chapter is dedicated to you. **

**So as some of you know, this chapter has a KISS in it!! Just read it before you freak out about how old Embry is, okay? This chapter jumps around a little bit (poorly introduced flashbacks and what not) so keep that in mind.  
**

**Thanks again! **

Chapter 12: Making Amends and Movie Theatres

"Oh Andy, you missed a spot!" Quil called from his spot on the sofa with a goofy grin. I scowled at him as I swept the dusting rag across the TV screen… again.

It had been three months since that night on the beach and my life had changed in a lot of ways. First of all, I spent every day after school and most weekends at Embry and Quil's house, cleaning and cooking. That was Embry's idea for how I would pay him back for the money I had stolen from the pack.

It was a warm night in late March and I was just finishing the housework. Hannah was away on her annual horticultural seminar and she had miraculously agreed to let me stay with Embry and Quil.

"Anything else you need before I lock myself in my pen for the night?" I asked, my voice heavy with sarcasm. Embry had been on patrol all day and Quil had been using me as his own personal servant.

"No, that should be all," he dug into his bowl of popcorn with a huge, cheesy grin. "Nighty night Andy."

I knew Quil didn't have any hard feelings towards me, but he was having way too much fun with this whole thing. I put away my cleaning supplies and headed to Embry's room; he'd insisted on taking the couch. The room was small, but cozy and I fell asleep in no time surrounded by his scent.

I woke up sobbing, like so many times before, and clapped my hands over my mouth to stifle the sound. Unfortunately, with his superhuman hearing, Embry had heard me and came barging into the dark room.

"Ah, it's okay, Shorty," he murmured, pulling me into his lap and rocking me. "I'm right here, you're alright."

"I hate this," I sniffed, pulling myself pack together. Every time I woke up alone in the dark, I wanted a drink and it took everything I had to resist.

"I know, but you're doing so good," Embry praised.

I yawned loudly, Embry's warm body and comforting presence lulling me back to sleep. When I opened my eyes again, sun was pouring through the window. I was still leaning on Embry's chest, but his arms were resting on the bed and his head had fallen back against the wall. The entire expanse of his throat was exposed, all the way to his bare chest. For a moment, I had the insane urge to plant kisses wherever I could, but I quickly shook the idea from my head.

As it turned out Embry was a lot like vodka; I'd slept soundly most of the night. After this little revelation, he spent every night after that in a sleeping bag on my floor. Hannah had been surprisingly cool about this, only insisting that the door remained open. I had to giggle when she made the rule; like anyone as hot as Embry could want anything to do with me.

~*~

Admitting to the pack what I'd done had been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Sam and Emily had been shocked when Embry and I told them about my problem and that I'd taken from them. I couldn't stop apologizing and Emily had held me, rocking me back and forth. After what I had done to her family, she comforted me, telling me that everyone made mistakes and now it was time for me to get help, not worry about the past.

Kim and Jared had been just as understanding as Emily and Sam. Kim even laughed, telling me that she used to be "quite the badass" herself. Rachel, on the other hand, got pretty upset when Embry and I went to talk to her and Paul.

"You took money from us?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest. Paul stood behind her and gave me a pitying smile before Rachel continued. "You took money from all of us? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm so sorry Rachel." It was all I could say, and I'd said it a lot that day. Embry hadn't left my side once, coming with me to tell everyone, even Hannah.

"Well, sorry doesn't exactly cut it, does it?" She was furious, and however twisted it was, I was glad. Her anger felt better than Emily's forgiveness or Kim's understanding; this was what I deserved. I sat at her table, fully prepared to take whatever she said or did, but Embry stopped her.

"Okay, Rachel, she's sorry, and I'm gonna pay you back." He pulled his wallet out and handed her a few bills. We had already gone over how much I had taken from everyone so that Embry could give the money back that day.

"How do we know this is everything?" Rachel demanded as she took the money and stared at me.

"She said it is, so it is Sweets," Paul spoke softly in Rachel's ear.

"I don't care what she says, I just want her out," Rachel's fierce eyes landed on Embry. "Get her the hell out of my house."

Embry started to protest, but I stood up and left with a final apology, not wanting to upset her anymore than I already had.

"She was outta line," Embry said as we climbed into his truck. I shook my head and blinked back tears as he started driving back to Hannah's.

"No, Embry, I deserved it. I stole from them." I said staring out the window at the wall of green trees. I was going to find a way to make it up to them; I had to.

~*~

"Put in another weekend of servitude?" Kale asked as I sat down next to him at lunch on Monday.

"Yeah," I sighed, my gaze drifting to a table across the cafeteria where Nate, Cassidy and Danny sat with their friends. I caught Cass's eye and gave a small smile, which she quickly returned before turning back to the group. Another one of the conditions that Embry had made was that I couldn't hang out with them anymore, and although I knew it was for the best, I missed them.

"How long does he have you for?" he mumbled through a mouth full of onion rings. I started eating with Kale and his friends again when I'd stopped seeing Cass and Nate. Kale had welcomed me back with open arms, but his friends had been slightly annoyed and I couldn't really blame them.

"I don't know… eternity," I moaned. I was truly grateful to Embry, he'd helped me in so many ways. But I was a teenager now, and no teenager wanted to spend all of their time playing maid to two grown men.

"That blows," Kale belched loudly to show his pity, then quickly changed the subject to the upcoming baseball season when his friends joined us.

Most of them ignored my presence, their eyes never quite meeting mine. Shockingly though, Harris, who had disliked me the most in the fall, was the only one other than Kale who spoke to me.

"Did you have a good weekend?" he asked, offering me one of his French fries. I gladly took one and nodded.

"Yeah, I mostly just hung around at home." My extracurricular activities were considered pack business so no one at school knew what I did with my free time.

"Well, you're going to have to let me kidnap you next weekend so you can have some real fun," he winked at me before joining in on the baseball conversation. His offer made me giddy and I smiled at my lap.

I hadn't given boys much thought (other than the hot but unattainable Embry) but lately I'd been seeing Harris in a new way. He'd grown from the short, awkward boy I'd met in September and was now long and lean. He was no where near as tall or muscled as the wolves, but he was attractive in a much more human way. He had flaws; a few blemishes and a little bit of baby fat that still framed his face.

The afternoon passed quickly and soon it was time to go home. I was pleasantly surprised to find Harris waiting by my locker, already carrying his full backpack.

"Hey Harris," I smiled at him as I opened my locker, putting away the books that I wouldn't need for the evening.

"Hey, do you have much homework?" he asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Not tonight," I half grunted as I tried to tame the pile of junk that was going to make closing the door difficult.

"So I was kinda wondering…" Harris's voice trailed off. I peeked around my locker door and was surprised to see that he was bright red and slightly shaking.

"Harris, are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on his forehead, checking for a fever. Spending so much time with Emily and Levi had given me a maternal side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he seemed to relax under my touch; he released the breath he'd been holding and a smile played on his lips. "Will you go out with me?"

My hand quickly dropped from his face and my cheeks burned what I'm sure was a very bright red. I stared at him, wide-eyed with my mouth slightly open. It took me a minute to realize that Harris was waiting for an answer and my stunned silence seemed to be bruising his ego.

"Forget it," he blushed, turning and heading for the door. I stared after him and as I watched him disappear in the crowd of students flooding towards freedom, my mouth caught up with my head.

"Harris, wait!" I called, slamming my locker shut and chasing after him. I'd had a rough few months and I decided I could use a little fun.

"Hey, wait up," I caught up to him and grabbed his arm, spinning him around to face me. He looked both surprised and glad that I'd followed him. "I'd really like that… to go out. With you."

His face broke into a wide grin. "Excellent, um, how about tomorrow night? We could go see a movie in Port Angeles."

"That sounds great," I smiled. We said quick goodbyes and I started to look for Kale. Sam was going to surprise Emily with a night out and I had been volunteered by Embry to babysit.

Kale eyed me suspiciously as I skipped beside him on the way there, unable to keep my excitement in check.

"What's with you?" he asked as we rounded the last corner and the house came into view. Kale was one of my best friends, I had to tell him.

"Harris asked me out today," I said, my cheeks starting to hurt from smiling the whole way home. I looked sideways, expecting to see Kale smiling or even surprised, but he wasn't there. I spun around and saw him a few steps back, frozen.

"What?" he asked, closing the distance between us slowly.

"Harris, he… he asked me out," I sputtered.

"Well what did you say?"

"I said yes, Kale what's wrong?" He had started walking towards the house at an inhuman pace and I had to jog to catch up.

"You shouldn't be dating him… he's not a good guy," he responded, not meeting my eye.

"What are you talking about?" I laughed. He had to be kidding. "He's a great guy! He's one of your best friends!"

Kale grumbled as he walked in the front door and I followed him, the sounds of Kim's boisterous laughter reaching my ears. It was good to have everybody together, the whole pack seemed more at peace now that Kim and Emily were back on speaking terms.

"Hey Andy, how was school?" Emily hugged me when I walked into the crowded kitchen. She still had no idea what Sam had planned so she was busy cooking supper for the hungry boys.

"Good," I grinned, the excitement of the day returning. Embry was sitting with Levi at the table and Kale had gone straight to him, pulling on his arm and motioning towards the back door.

"Ah, something happened, look at that face!" Kim wrapped a tan arm around my shoulder. "Spill."

These were the people I should have told first, this was totally one of those "girl" conversations that boys don't fully appreciate.

"I'm going on a date!" I squealed, anticipating at least Emily and Kim to join me.

Nothing.

There was not one sound in that kitchen besides Levi's quiet gurgling. Every eye was on me except Kale, who had quietly slipped out the back.

"A what?" Embry asked, wearing a very tight smile.

"A date," I replied in a small voice, my smile gone. Why was everyone reacting like this? I'm fourteen, totally old enough to date.

"Woo!" Kim called, better late than never. "That's awesome Hun! A girl's first date is a huge deal, Emily and I want details, so dish." She earned a death-glare from Embry as she pushed me into a chair. Embry took Levi outside with the rest of the boys as I relived every detail of my quick yet vital encounter with Harris.

Before long Sam came inside and swept a shocked Emily off her feet, giving her a few minutes to change before whisking her off for a night on the town. The rest of the wolves hung around long enough to eat the food the she had made before either heading out on patrol or for a well deserved night off.

Embry was the only one who stayed and we cleaned the kitchen in silence; he hadn't said a word to me since my announcement (a habit I was beginning to hate). I had noticed he and Kim in a heated conversation while the guys were eating, and I had a suspicion that it was about me.

We drifted to the living room and I rocked Levi as Embry channel surfed. Just as the baby closed his eyes, Embry turned to face me.

"So are you excited about your… date?" he asked. His voice was shaky, but he smiled and his eyes were soft.

"Yeah, Harris is a nice guy," I allowed myself a little smile and giggled. "You'd approve."

Embry snorted a laugh and sat back to watch some reality TV show. He stayed with me until Sam and Emily returned, both of them reaching for Levi. While they enjoyed their night out, they definitely missed the little guy.

On the drive home, Embry asked a few questions about Harris and the impending date. It seemed like he genuinely wanted to be happy for me, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

~*~

Before I knew it, I was rummaging through my closet for something, anything, I could wear to a movie.

"The pink top is cute," Kim said from her perch on the foot of my bed. She had come over to help me through the pre-date jitters. I told her that there was no need, Harris and I had been friends for a while so this would be easy. She laughed and said she'd be over anyway and I was very glad that she did.

"I don't want cute!" I huffed. "I want pretty, gorgeous, sexy!"

"Sexy, huh?" Hannah appeared with a soda for each Kim and I.

"Well, you know, not _sexy_," I backtracked.

"Mmhmm, well keep in mind that I have the power to veto anything I deem inappropriate." She said with a small smile.

Together, we decided on a knee length, flowy skirt and the cute pink top Kim liked. We were waiting anxiously in the living room when the back door opened and two tall, shirtless men walked in.

"Oh no, I don't think so!" Kim stood up and made to shoo Embry and Paul back out the door. Unfortunately, they were both almost a foot taller than her and easily got past her.

"What? We gotta give this guy 'the talk'!" Paul said, flopping on the couch next to me, ruffling the hair that took way to long to style.

"C'mon guys, not tonight, please?" I leaned away from his outstretched hand. Kim caught my eye and mouthed, _ask him to leave_, while motioning to Embry. I couldn't see how that would help, but I would try anything; Harris was going to show up any second.

"Please Embry?" I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine," he relented, smiling his smile for me. "Let's go Paul."

"Wha?" Paul looked shocked, holding his arms out to the sides. "But we just got here!"

"Yeah, well, I think Brady got his hands on some beer so…" Embry pulled Paul off the couch and towards the door, pushing him out into the warm night. "Have fun tonight, Shorty," he said before he too disappeared into the dark. No sooner had the door shut than a car pulled into the driveway. Kim wished me luck and Hannah handed me a jacket before I stepped outside, not so sure anymore that I was ready for my first date.

~*~

The movie was a comedy, definitely the right choice for our first date. I didn't like horror flicks and a love story would have been too heavy for the light evening.

"Sorry again for my mom," Harris laughed as we walked out of the theatre. He only had his learner's permit, so his mom had dropped us off and she was a little chatty.

"That's okay, I like her," I gave him a reassuring smile. We had a few minutes before we were being picked up, so I leaned against the wall next to him.

"This was fun," Harris peeked at me from beneath his long bangs. "Would you like to do it again, maybe?"

I nodded, excited at the prospect of another night out. It was nice to feel like a normal girl for once, not one who was indebted to her werewolf best friend because she had stolen money from his family to support her alcohol addiction.

"Awesome," He smiled, leaning close to me. I don't really know how or why it happened, but I suddenly found myself on my tiptoes, my lips pressed lightly against his. He seemed surprised at first, but almost immediately returned the kiss, placing one hand behind my back and the other on my cheek.

The kiss was quick but sweet, and all too soon it was over. We didn't say anything afterward, just stared at each other goofily until Harris' mom pulled up in her minivan.

~*~

EPOV

"She's trying to kill me right?" I asked the group of guys laying around my TV. "I mean, why else would she do this to me?"

"Come on, man, its just one little date," Collin said, spraying canned cheese into his mouth. Whenever there was beer involved, the younger wolves found a reason to visit. Tonight, it was to be my "moral support" but so far I was sober and they were all half lit.

"Yeah, and you let Seth have all the fun following her so what are you worried about?" Paul called from the kitchen. Actually, I had been all for me being the one to follow Andy on her date (just to make sure she'd be safe, of course) but Sam had kinda insisted I stay on the rez. Something about it being bad for the pack if I phased and shredded the kid in the middle of town…

"I'm not worried, but she's my imprint, she shouldn't _want_ to date anyone else," I moaned and bitched all night, and I think my brothers were getting sick of it.

Kim had been the one to convince me that this date wasn't such a bad idea, but now I was regretting giving it my seal of approval.

"Every girl needs a first date Embry," she'd told me that night at Emily's. I'd needed some calming down after Jared caught me sneaking off to maim some punk teenager. "You want her to have a normal life right? To be able to make her own choices without any pressure? Well this is her choice and you have to respect it!"

I knew that she was right, I did want all of those things, but damn it, she wasn't supposed to want anyone but me! My ego was damaged, so as often as I told Andy in the past few months that drinking didn't solve problems, I cracked two beers and downed them so that the alcohol had a chance to reach my blood before my body heat burned it off.

I just finished my first six-pack when I caught Seth's scent. He pushed the screen door open and stepped over a passed out Brady to sit next to me on the couch.

"Well?" I asked, leaning toward him as Paul and Jared joined in. Seth looked nervous, not a good sign.

"Uh, she's fine, the movie was good and she didn't see me. She just got home." Seth said, clapping his hands together and picking up a beer. That was it? Uh uh, he was holding back and he wasn't about to get away with it.

"Spill it, Kid," Paul demanded, yanking the beer out of Seth's hand.

"Well, she kinda… kissed him?" he said it like a question, and for a second I couldn't process what he said.

"What? What do you mean she kissed him?" I was dumbstruck. She kissed the guy? My imprint, my soul mate, kissed some guy?

"Look, I was waiting for him to try something, but he didn't. They were just standing there talking, and she laid one on him." If Seth had been any slower, my fist would have connected with his jaw and he wouldn't have been saying anything for a while, but he ducked and I hit the couch behind him.

"Easy Em, it's not his fault!" Jared said, pulling me away from a hurt looking Seth. He was right, Seth was a good enough friend to look out for her and I was trying to hit him? Bad form, Embry, bad form.

"Sorry Seth," I said quietly, leaving them sitting there as I walked into my backyard and towards the beach. The sand was warm and I sat there thinking about the shit-show of a situation I was in. Not only did I have to stand by as she went on a date, I had to hear about her kissing other guys? I thought we'd been through everything over the past few months, but now this? Something else for me to deal with. I sat there, mulling over my problems, which seemed so big at the time. Little did I know the worst was yet to come.

**Thanks for reading guys! The next chapter is gonna be HUGE so make sure you don't miss it!**

**p.s. if you want a chapter dedicated to you, leave lots of reviews!**

**Thanks again!**

**Nikki ;)**


	14. Chapter 13: Black Black Night

**Okay guys, first of all I am SO sorry that its taken me this long to put this chapter out! I've been writing bits and pieces of it since I started the fic and putting them all together has been harder than I thought. So please review, this chapter was where the idea for this story began**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight :(**

Chapter 13: Black Black Night

Making out with Harris had become my favorite pastime. He was gorgeous and sweet and I truly enjoyed his company. The only problem was that it was difficult to find a place where we wouldn't get caught. Hannah's place was out; she'd caught us on the couch one night and threatened Harris, saying she would "cut off an appendage that I am sure you will miss."

The beach was too crowded during the day, and at night there was always the chance that one of the wolves would stumble across us on patrol. I hadn't introduced Harris to the pack yet; the very thought made me nervous.

I was sitting in the kitchen, scratching Angus' head and considering my make-out-location-dilemma, (MOLD, as Harris called it) when I heard a car pull up and the honk of a horn. Hannah was at the community center, so I went out to see who it was.

Sitting in the drive way was an old, rusty, beat up blue car that looked like it was going to fall apart any second. Harris was leaning against it, arms crossed over his chest and looking immensely proud of himself.

"What's this?" I asked, dancing towards him. The grass tickled my bare feet and I quickly stood on my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Mmmm," he hummed as he bent down to kiss me, his long arms snaking around my waist. My explanation had to wait a few moments.

"So," I gasped when we finally came up for air, "whose car is this?"

"Mine," he smiled, pressing his lips to my forehead before flashing me a wide smile.

"What?" I half shrieked. He'd gotten his license just under a month ago, and he hadn't mentioned any plans for buying a car.

"Yeah, I got a job in Forks so my parents lent me the money," he couldn't stop smiling. "And besides getting to work, this might just be a solution to MOLD."

He winked at me before walking to the passenger side and wrenching the door open. I gave him a sly smile before hopping in and buckling my seatbelt.

We sped off, the old car creaking and groaning as we drove through La Push. We pulled into the parking lot at first beach and resumed where we had left off in the drive way. We were shielded by the cars around us so Harris was quickly shirtless, my fingers crawling along his chest and arms. We hadn't done anything other than kiss, but not for long.

Even now, as his hands twisted into my hair, I wanted more. I could feel a tightness in my stomach and I pulled myself closer, wanting to feel more of him. We had just started to pant when the sound of kids laughing effectively broke the mood. The people that we had parked next to were leaving, and since we were going to be exposed, we also hightailed it out of there.

~*~

With our MOLD problem solved, Harris and I spent a lot of time in his car. The summer passed quickly; too quickly in my mind. Harris' job in Forks kept him away most of the day, so I spent my free time either at Kim's or Emily's. Emily was babysitting Claire for the summer, so between her and a now walking Levi, she had her hands full.

It was towards the end of summer vacation that I decided to meld the two very separate parts of my life. So, one night before Harris and I were going out, I told Emily I would be over for dinner. I neglected to mention that I would be bringing Harris. He had become a large part of my life so naturally, I thought it would be a good idea to take him to Sam and Emily's for dinner. Stupid, stupid me.

"What's he doing here?!" Kim pulled me aside and hissed in my ear. Harris and I had just walked in the door and there was an audible growl from the living room.

"Sam, put the dog out, will you?" Emily said through gritted teeth as she pulled a chair out for Harris.

"Why can't I bring him here?" I whispered to Kim. I was confused; everyone, (well, almost everyone) had been happy for me before.

"Because…" Kim actually bit her tongue while she rethought her response. "Look Andy, these boys are very protective and you're one of their girls now. You can't just spring this kind of stuff on them."

She led me back to the table where Emily was very quietly asking Harris if he liked white or dark meat. We ate dinner without any of the boys coming out of the living room to even say hello, not at all like the normally ravenous pack, so when Harris was helping Emily clean the table I ventured in.

"We're leaving now," I mumbled from the door, knowing that everyone could hear me clearly.

"Bye Andy," Kale smiled before Embry shot him a freezing look.

"See ya later Embry," I said, stepping farther into the dimly lit room. He didn't even nod in response so I reached out to touch his arm and he flinched away from my hand.

"Just take that little shit and get the hell goin!" he growled, causing me to stumble back. His face changed from angry to remorseful when he saw the look of fear on mine but I left the room before he could say anything else.

Tears were clouding my vision as I strode through the kitchen, hearing Sam's angry voice behind me.

I ran through the kitchen, needing desperately to escape from the hate emanating from Embry. He'd never looked at me like that; like he couldn't stand the sight of me. It reminded me of a past I was anxious to forget. I didn't say goodbye to Kim or Emily; I didn't even look at Harris as I hurled myself out the front door and into the warm night.

"Hey Andy, wait!" Harris called, slipping out the door and catching up to me quickly. "What's wrong?" He moved in front of me and stopped me with two strong hands on my shoulders. I was biting the inside of my cheek to keep from crying but when I saw the softness in his face, I couldn't hold back the tears.

"Aw Babe," he pulled me to his chest and rubbed my back as I sobbed. "What happened in there?"

"N-nothing," I stammered, pulling myself back together. Whatever Embry's problems were, I wasn't going to burden Harris with them. "Let's just leave, ok?"

~*~

We had the typical date for those La Push teenagers lucky enough to have access to a car; a movie in Port Angeles. The drive home had left something to be desired as all of the superhero conversations had occurred over dinner and we found ourselves with nothing left to talk about. Harris was really kind and funny and attractive, but he was lacking in the maturity department.

"So, um, do you want to go to the beach?" he asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I was surprised to see how close we were to home.

"Sure," I flashed him a wide smile, which he quickly returned.

We pulled into the deserted parking lot at First Beach and I unbuckled my seatbelt, reaching for the door handle.

Harris grabbed my wrist and I turned to look at him. He was staring at me with a confused expression, like he was trying to build up his nerve.

"Harris, are you-" His lips crashed into mine without any warning. I hadn't even had time to close my eyes, so I now watched his face, very close to mine, scrunched up in concentration.

The kiss was over quickly, but it was passionate and I felt myself fall over the edge. My earlier interaction with Embry only fueled the fire. I sort of attacked him then, fastening myself to him and biting his bottom lip. Harris must have been surprised because he pulled away, but he was hot and we were alone and I was gonna get some god damn it! Wow, kind of channeling Paul there.

I grabbed hold of his shirt and brought his lips back to mine, taking control, parting my lips and allowing my tongue to very lightly graze his mouth. It was like I'd flipped a switch. He roughly grabbed a handful of my hair and deepened the kiss, the passion building as we made out in the First Beach parking lot.

I was sucking on his neck, just below his ear when he whispered, "Backseat?"

My breath stopped as I contemplated his request. I had wanted to be with this boy tonight, I had obsessed over it in fact, but was I ready to go that far?

"We don't have to do anything, there's just more room, okay?" There was a hint of desperation in his voice, but his promise reassured me enough to agree.

"Okay," I whispered.

He scrambled over his seat into the back, and then reached up to help me. I settled down next to him and he gave me a very sweet smile before kissing me again. It began softly, but quickly became more frenzied. His fingertips were hovering just above the hem of my shirt and when they finally made contact with the thin line of exposed skin there, my whole body shuttered.

I could feel the smile on his lips as he inched his hand onto the skin of my back, tracing up and down my spine. I pressed myself to his chest and slung my leg over his lap. His left hand, which had been cupping my cheek, trembled as it began a torturously slow journey south. It came to rest on my right breast, causing me to moan softly into his mouth.

Taking my throaty sounds as encouragement, the hand quickly joined its brother under my shirt. My body was tingling as he explored the plains of my chest and I wanted more of him. I grabbed a handful of his shirt and leaned back, pulling him with me as I went. My head hit the seat and he settled himself between my legs; his weight felt nice, but something was missing. I'd expected him to be heavier, and although it was a very warm night, his touch left a chill on my skin.

My t-shirt being tugged less than gracefully over my shoulders brought me back to the present. With one last almighty pull, my chest was released from its cotton prison and was quickly being covered by Harris' lips. Suddenly, my hot night out was falling short of my expectations. Harris was a great guy, and totally hot, but for some reason this didn't feel right.

I was trying to figure out the nicest way to tell him that I was ready to go home when the car door at my feet was wrenched open and Harris disappeared.

EPOV

I shouldn't have looked at her. The second I saw her face, saw how much my words hurt her, I wanted to throw myself off of the cliffs. She was afraid of me.

"What the fuck was that Embry?" Sam snarled as the front door slammed.

"Thanks for dinner Mrs. Uley, nice to meet you both," I heard the kiss-up say before following my imprint out into the dark. I should be the one making sure she got home safely, not him. Then again, it was my fault she ran out in the first place.

"Embry, what the hell?" Kim demanded, stalking into the room. She was the only imprint I was really afraid of, and for good reason. Since Bella broke her hand on Jake's face when she was angry, Kim thought she'd use a baseball bat to make her point. I'd had to re-brake Jared's nose after that one.

"Look, I'm sorry okay?" I said, standing up and rubbing the back of my neck. "Why did she bring him here, anyway?"

"Because she likes him, you idiot!" she yelled, advancing on me. "She wanted us to get to know him because we're her only goddamn family, and you pansy-ass's wouldn't even come out of the living room!"

Levi's wails stopped me from screaming back. Emily, who had been watching or little battle like a mother hen, rolled her eyes and headed for the stairs.

"Thanks guys," she mumbled.

"Okay, that's enough," Sam stood up and crossed his arms across his chest. I hated when he used that Alpha-voice thing. "Embry, Paul, Kale, you guys have patrol. That should give you some time to cool off."

~*~

Patrol was pretty boring, as usual. We caught the scent of a vamp out by Billy's place, but it had bailed long ago and Billy was fine, so we didn't follow the scent out of the rez.

Kale had been quiet for most of the night, and I had a good idea why. Since I didn't get to finish my fight with Kim, I did the only thing I could think of to work out my frustration.

_Nothing to say tonight Kale?_ I asked, hoping that his temper was a short as Paul's.

_Nope. _His word was strong, but Andy's face, full of fear and pain flashed across his mind and my stomach twisted.

_Drop it, Kale._ Paul said, moving in between us. He knew the way an imprint's emotions affected us, and Kale reminding me of her pain, even though it was my fault, wasn't smart. We came out of the forest and started down the beach, the salt air starting to calm me down, but the young wolf wasn't done yet.

_No, you know what? He fucked up and he knows it! _Growls rumbled from Kale's chest and it took all of my self control to let his head stay attached to his body.

_Yeah, I do know it, but if it wasn't for you, she never would have met him!_

_Alright guys, c'mon, that's enough, _Paul tried to settle us down, but I was too riled up. He may be second in command, but his voice didn't have a hold on us like Sam's did.

Kale yelped when I jumped over Paul's back and landed on him, biting into the thick fur around his neck. I don't usually lose my temper, and even though Kale was pushing my buttons I was angrier at myself.

_Embry, stop! _Paul yelled, tackling me to the sand. He was bigger than me and kept me down easily.

_Let him up Paul! If he wants to fight, we'll fight!_ Kale snarled. _I'm not afraid!_

_You should be kid, _Paul kept his big paws on me so I had no choice but to lie there, waiting to calm down. That's when I heard her sweet voice.

"Okay," was all she said, but it was the sounds I heard next that gave me the strength to launch Paul off of me. I set off at a dead run in the direction of Harris's grunts and groans.

_Shit, Embry, don't- _Paul's voice was cut short when a small car with steamed up windows came into view and I phased, pulling my shorts on as I ran.

"Em! Wait up!" Kale called from far behind me. He wanted to save his friend, but that wasn't likely to happen. I was seeing red as my feet crunched on the gravel in the parking lot and I finally reached the car. I almost took the door off the hinges when I pulled it open. It was like a nightmare; my worst nightmare. There she was, my imprint, my angel, hidden beneath this scrawny, sweaty kid.

I grabbed him by the foot, hauling him out of the car and slamming him to the ground. I was on top of him in an instant, my fist colliding with his nose with a sickening yet satisfying crunch.

"Embry? Embry stop!" Andy screamed, clambering out of the car and grabbing my arm. Her touch soothed me instantly and I stood up, backing away and pulling her with me. Paul and Kale had caught up and Kale was staring at Harris like he wanted to help him up.

"What the hell, man?" Harris said through the blood gushing out of his nose.

"Are you okay?" Andy tried to pull out of my grip and go to him, but my hand was locked around her bare arm.

"I think my nose is broken," he moaned, crawling to the car.

"Wait, I'll take you to the hospital," Andy fought harder against me.

"Drive yourself," I snarled. "Now get the fuck outta here."

Andy's eyes were shooting daggers at me as the punk fell into the driver's seat and started the car, throwing a shirt out the window.

"I'll call you," he shouted as he drove away.

As his taillights disappeared, I looked at Andy for the first time. My jaw pretty much hit the ground when I saw way too much of her pale skin, glowing in the moonlight. Other than her jeans, the only thing she wore was a small black b- br-. Damn it, she's too young for me to have to worry about her b-bra, let alone see it.

"How could you?" She cried, turning to me with tear filled eyes. For the second time tonight, I was the cause of her pain. Great job, Em.

"He was all over you," I replied through gritted teeth, a picture of the two of them flashing in my mind. This wasn't going to end well.

"So?" she yanked her arm away and started shaking.

"So?" I repeated. "So you're fourteen and he's sixteen!"

"Goddamn it Embry, I'm not a child!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she yelled. Paul and Kale were standing close by, their eyes glued to their feet. They weren't going to rescue me here and I really couldn't blame them. Andy was scary.

"Well, yeah, you kind of are," I laughed. Big,_ big_ mistake.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Embry Call?" she hissed, slapping my chest. I hoped she didn't hurt herself, but I could already see her fingers swelling.

"I-" I mumbled, but I wasn't supposed to talk.

"You don't own me, you have no right to tell me what I can do or who I can do it with." She bent over and picked up the shirt Harris had thrown out of the car.

She started to walk away, and I took two steps in her direction before she whipped around.

"Do NOT follow me!" she ordered, causing me to stop in my tracks. If I thought Sam's voice could make me jump, hers could make me leap a tall building in a single bound.

I watched as she marched down the beach, shirt in hand, until she was almost too far away for me to see. At the last minute, she turned back to face us and yelled.

"I would have fucked him!" Even to my wolf ears it sounded like a whisper, and I'm not sure if I could have handled any more. I dropped to my knees, trying really had not to puke.

"Come on Em," Paul said softly, his hand on my shoulder. He and Kale lifted me to my feet and pretty much carried me in the direction of Sam and Emily's.

"She hates me," I whispered.

"No," Kale said. "She's just pissed. Tomorrow it will be like this never happened."

"You think so?" I asked hopefully, our earlier fight long forgotten.

"Well, maybe not tomorrow," Kale chuckled.

APOV

How dare he? HOW DARE HE?! I was fuming as I made the long journey home, the warm August air making me sweat. My hand was throbbing but I wished I had hit Embry again and again.

He had no right to tell me what to do, he wasn't my father and he certainly wasn't my boyfriend. What Harris and I were doing was perfectly normal and harmless I was old enough and it was none of his business and...

My internal ranting ceased as I broke through the trees into Hannah's backyard. There was an unfamiliar, rusted car in the driveway and I could hear yelling from inside. I ran the last few steps and exploded through the back door, ready to defend Hannah as best as I could.

The scene I ran into will haunt me until the day I die. Hannah was pressed against the fridge, her fists clenched and her eyes blazing. Standing over her was my father. The vein in his neck was standing out, a sure sign that he was angry.

"Andy, long time, no see," he said, leaning away from Hannah and taking a step in my direction.

"Andy, go get Embry," Hannah said firmly.

I didn't move. I couldn't leave her here with him knowing first hand what would happen if he got any angrier.

"No, Andy, you might as well stay," Dad said, closing the distance between us and wrapping his arm firmly around my shoulders.

"W-what's going on?" I asked, my voice trembling as his fingers sunk into my flesh. "I thought you weren't getting out for another two years."

"Mmm, well, we wanted to see you," he grinned. He looked different than I remembered; his hair was longer and he looked thinner, older.

"We?"

"Yeah, your mom's upstairs." His grip was strong enough to bring tears to my eyes as he called to my mother. "Dana!"

"Andy, sweetheart, I missed you so much," Mom cooed when she appeared at the bottom of the stairs… with my suitcase.

"You can't take her," Hannah stood in front of us with her arms crossed over her chest. Her strength would be her undoing if she stood up to him.

"She's my goddamn kid, I'll do whatever I want!" his hand moved from my shoulder to my wrist.

"Until the court says so, you can't have her back," Hannah turned to my mother, hoping to find her more reasonable than Dad.

"Well…" My mom sighed, looking to Dad.

"Whose gonna stop me?" he sneered, picking up the cordless phone from the counter and hurled it to the floor, smashing it.

"Ready to go, Baby?" Mom asked as she stroked my hair. She never was very smart, and the gravity of the situation was lost on her.

"No!" Hannah finally lost it, slamming her fist down on the counter top. "You do not get to take her!" She left the room and returned a moment later with a baseball bat.

"That's it," my father mumbled under his breath as he released me from his iron grip and he advanced on Hannah. He'd reached his breaking point and now Hannah would pay the price. I couldn't let that happen. She'd saved me in so many ways and now it was time for me to repay the favor.

"No, Dad, please," I begged, pulling him away from Hannah and towards the door. "Let's just go."

Even I could hear the desperation in my voice and Hannah opened her mouth to protest.

"Thanks for everything Hannah, but we both knew this was only temporary," I prayed she would translate the warning look I gave her.

Dad grumbled under his breath and quickly strode out the front door with my mom and me in tow.

Hannah followed us out onto the front lawn, remaining silent until we were all in the tiny rental car. I couldn't stop the tears that flooded down my cheeks as I watched her sprint into the trees in the direction of Sam and Emily's. She didn't wave goodbye; she was focused on her desperate mission, however futile it was.

I kept my face in the window as we set off towards Port Angeles. I wanted to memorize every detail of the place that felt more like home to me than anywhere else ever had. Even though it was dark, I could pick out the shape of the houses before they melted into the pitch black of the trees.

I felt it in my heart that I would never see La Push again.

**Alright guys, I'm missing all of your reviews!! Please send me many! Let me know what you think!**

**Thanks**

**Nikki ;)**


	15. Chapter 14: The Search

**Words can not describe how sorry I am that this has taken so long to post. I had so many plans for this chapter but life got in the way and I didn't get to make it as long as I wanted but I had to put it out there. The next chapter will be longer and will not take nearly the time this one took to come out, promise :) So without further adieu, Chapter 14. **

Chapter 14: The Search

EPOV

One year, eleven months and fifteen days. That's how long its been since I've seen her. I'm… empty. I haven't felt anything but pain and anger for so long; life doesn't really have meaning anymore. All that's left is to search… and revenge…

~*~

After our fight on the beach, Paul and Kale had dragged me back to Sam and Emily's to cool down. We were sitting in the kitchen when Hannah burst through the back door, crying and covered in scratches.

"The-they," she gasped, leaning against the counter. Emily immediately handed her a glass of water while the rest of us crowded around her. I knew that my Andy was the root of whatever had happened; nothing else would have Hannah this upset.

My hands were shaking as I reached for hers.

"Hannah, what happened?" I begged, trying to keep my voice calm.

"They came, and they took her!" she wailed. I didn't wait for the details; I was out the door and phasing before anyone else moved. I didn't need to hear any more; someone had taken Andy and I had to get her back.

I ran through the forest until I came to Hannah's house and immediately caught Andy's scent. There were so many trails there; it was hard to tell the fresh ones from the rest.

**Embry, it was her parents** Sam said. He was crashing through the trees in my direction as the rest of the pack shimmered into my mind. I could see Hannah and hear her explaining what happened through Sam's memory. Andy's whack-job parents had shown up and taken her.

**Don't worry, Em, we'll find her **Paul assured me, running towards me as fast as he could. I caught the scent of a man, someone I didn't recognize and started to follow it. Fuck, I hate tracking cars, its damn near impossible to follow someone once their scent is covered by gas and exhaust.

**Calm down Em, don't think like that** Quil said when I started to whimper in frustration. His pain was the closest to my own; they spent a lot of time together when Andy was at our place. With Andy there, Claire's parents were far more lenient with the amount of time Quil was allowed to spend with his young imprint.

I took off down the road at a dead run with the other guys falling in behind me. Sam had to actually order me to get into the trees when cars came; I just didn't care if I was seen or not. It had probably taken Hannah almost twenty minutes to run to Sam's, but we ran faster than any car should drive on this road and we should have caught up to them by now. We ran all the way to Port Angelus before Kale's thoughts burst into my head like a piercing scream.

**Shit, the airport… **

Tracking cars was hard; tracking airplanes… impossible. We phased just outside of the airport and ran inside, getting weird looks from everyone we passed. Not everyday you see a group of huge, half-naked native guys running around like rats in a trap.

I caught her scent by the ticket counter and my heart jolted hopefully. She was easy to follow then, all of us heading for the same terminal. People were yelling for us to stop but we were too fast for them.

When we got there, it was empty. The only people in sight were the ladies behind the counter and an old guy pushing a broom.

"No…" I covered my face with my hands as Paul ran to the counter to ask when the plane had left. I heard the boys planning and Sam trying to calm the guards that had caught up to us, but I wasn't focusing anymore. I'd failed her. Her father had left her beaten and broken and after almost a year she was happy and healthy.

They had taken her and there was nothing I could do about it. Paul found out where the plane went so we phased and ran through the night. She wasn't there. Sam took a few of the boys back to La Push; he was afraid to leave Emily, Levi and the rest of the girls unprotected. I'm ashamed to say at that point I didn't care.

It took a week for the rest of them to go back. Paul and Quil lasted the longest, both apologizing before heading back to their own imprints. Kale was the only one who stayed.

**I'm not leaving** he protested after I suggested he join the others. As much as I wanted the help, there was no point in all of us being away.

**Listen dude, your mom doesn't know about us, where does she think you are? She's probably worried out of her freaking mind **

**I know but I can't just stop looking Embry, she's my friend. **

I didn't have the mental strength to fight him, so Kale stayed until school started. We'd made it down to New Mexico when we started to hear Jared's voice telling Kale his mom was gonna call the cops if he didn't turn up soon. That left me alone. I looked and I looked, went through every crappy little town, hunting for a sniff of her scent or the stench of the man who took her.

I was making my way through Alabama when I caught a familiar scent; not the one I was looking for but one I was glad for anyway.

"How you holding up?" Jake asked, leaning against a large maple tree. He must have just phased because he was buck-naked, something I was sadly used to from being in his pack.

I felt the tell-tail chill as my fur disappeared and my copper skin saw sunlight for the first time in weeks.

"How do you think?" I mumbled, clearing my throat; it was hoarse from lack of use.

"Well, you look like shit," he smiled at first, but his face quickly changed when I sank to the ground with my head in my hands. "Ah, Em…"

"I feel like I'm losing it Jake," I croaked. "I have no idea where she is, I'm just running around, blind, hoping for a clue or something…"

"I know," Jake said, sitting next to me. "We've been looking for her too, the Cullen's and me. Carlisle hired some people, detectives and stuff. Everyone's looking Em, the world's not big enough for them to hide."

"Thanks," I whispered. There was nothing else I could say; as much as I missed everyone else, and as grateful as I was to Jake and the vamps, I was wasting time just sitting there.

I stretched my human arms out in front of me and stepped away from Jake as the heat shot down my spine.

"Stay strong Em," was all I heard as my paws hit the dirt and Jake disappeared into the trees.

I stayed wolf for more than a year before the voices in my head convinced me to come home. I was so tired I could barely stand up let alone keep hunting so I gave in. They were all at Sam's waiting when I got back; happy to see me but sad that I was alone.

"Oh, we've been so worried!" Emily gasped when I walked into the kitchen. She pulled me into her arms and as bad as things were, I felt just a little bit happy; I was home.

~*~

Time passed quickly after I got home, the trees turning green again in what felt like a week. I split my time; home in La Push and out searching. My family needed me, I knew that, so I stayed in La Push for as long as I could, waiting for Dr. Fang's people to do their thing. When I got impatient, I wolfed-out and kept looking the old fashioned way. I even tried flying to places where I couldn't get on foot. When I ran out of money, which was pretty quick, Jake sent me enough cash to buy half the houses in La Push.

The longest I spent in La Push was a month, and that was only because I was trying to recruit some help. My agenda didn't sit too well with Sam.

"Embry, what good do you think it will do to go out looking again?" He asked. I know he was just trying to be a good alpha and do what was best for everyone, but damn he was pissing me off.

"What else can I do?" I answered through gritted teeth. "I've been looking for more than two years without even a sniff of her, I need more help." I stood up and started pacing the small kitchen. This was a fight we'd had before, and I lost every time.

"We need more to go on, Embry," Emily said, rubbing my arm. "You've looked, now you just have to be patient while we wait for Carlisle's people to find… something."

Even Emily avoided saying her name; avoided saying that we'd find her now. It had been so long, and while all I wanted to do was look for her I hit a brick wall. It did me no good to run around this Godforsaken country trying to smell her out the first time.

"I know Emily but I just have this… this sick feeling in my gut that tells me we're running out of time," I rubbed my eyes, feeling Levi pulling on my pant leg. I scooped him up and stared at his chubby little face. I'd wanted this; a family, kids someday, but without Andy it just didn't seem so great anymore. My own dad was non-existent and I'd wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I was better than that, but now…

_Stop it Embry, _I thought to myself, shaking my head. If I started thinking like that then I deserved to lose her.

"Look Em, we're all worried, believe me, but I can't just let so many wolves go," Sam said in his alpha voice. I hated that voice. "Kale and Quil will go, you know they will, but without a hint of where to start…"

I sat at the table, Levi in my lap, and closed my eyes. He was right, but that didn't change things. Andy was still missing, and I needed help.

I was racking my brains trying to come up with a solution when we heard a car grind to a stop on Sam's gravel driveway. I could smell her before she ran into the kitchen so her face caught me off guard. I'd never seen such a sickening mixture of fear and hope before so I leapt to my feet, handed Levi to Sam, and ran to Hannah's side.

"Hannah, what?" I pleaded, needing to hear news, any news about Andy.

"Dana just called me," the words exploded from her lips, like she couldn't get them out fast enough. "Andy ran away, she's been gone for days and Dana thinks she might be headed this way. She told me where they live, Embry," Hannah was smiling through her tears.

I could feel my own eyes filling up when the realization of what was happening sank in. She was alive. She was alive and what was better, I had a way to find her.

I looked to Sam, who had set Levi on the floor and was stripping his shirt off, headed for the back door.

"Now that's a hint," he grinned, stepping outside.

I felt a surge of energy as I heard the alpha howl. The pack was going hunting.

**I know, these cliffies will end soon, promise :) anywho, Thanks for reading and holding onto the hope that I would eventually finish a chapter. The next one comes soon so keep an eye out. Only a few chapters left in this fic. **

**As always, don't forget to review, but please keep in mind that I'm aware how short the chapter is and that it could have been a bit more developed. **

**Thanks,**

**Nikki ;)  
**


	16. Chapter 15: Hope Restored

**I know! I'm awful! I'm the worst poster ever and I'm sorry! To all those who have been waiting patiently I am so sorry and thank you so much for sticking with me through the worst writers block I have ever experienced. **

**This chapter is dedicated to all of you who have been with me since the beginning. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

Chapter 15: Hope Restored

**APOV**

_Where are you? _I had focused on this thought for the last two years and now, as I stared out my kitchen window, my insides were screaming it. My wrist stung in the soapy dishwater where my dad, Rick had burned it; the cigarette sized mark still red and angry looking. I drained the sink, still focusing out the small window.

The back yard was tiny and filled with junk, piled high on the chain-link fence. But beyond the trash, far in the distance was what I craved. I could barely see the deep green forest that lay on the edge of Colville, the small community where we had spent the last two months in a cramped apartment.

We had spent time all over the states and ended up back here, in Washington. This was the first time I really knew where we were thanks to a road sign and the rainy weather. I felt this pull… My father didn't take any chances when it came to me getting away. I hadn't been to school; the only time I even went outside was when we moved.

Those trees gave me hope and taunted me at the same time. My parents had no idea about Embry or the pack, so they didn't see the chance they had given me by moving back here. However, I had no way out of this place. I had tried to run once, early on, but I didn't make it very far. I couldn't move for three days after they found me and my father started locking all of the doors and windows with padlocks; a habit he'd repeated in every town.

The locks clicking on the door made me jump. Rick was never in a good mood when he got home so I knew well to stay out of his way. I slipped out of the kitchen and into my room, hearing the front door slam as I sat on my bed.

This was my afternoon routine: clean to pass the time, and then hide in my room until my mother got home. She may obey whatever he said, but she loved me and acted as a buffer between my dad and me.

When I heard the soft hum of the television and was convinced that my father would be leaving me alone, I reached into a small hole in my lumpy pillow and pulled out my most treasured possession.

The tiny wooden wolf was warm to the touch. It was always warm, even after spending all day hidden in the dark. My stomach panged uncomfortably when I thought of the day Embry gave it to me; I missed him and the others so much it made me physically ill.

I hadn't worn the bracelet in months for fear that something would happen to it. That figurine was the only thing keeping me sane and if I couldn't see it, touch it, I wasn't sure what I would do.

I curled up, holding the wolf tight and imagined I was back in La Push. I could almost see the vast, green forest, the air heavy with its damp scent. I could feel the warmth of Emily's kitchen, smell something delicious cooking and hear Levi cooing. He must be so big by now…

I must have dozed off because a loud smash and angry voices suddenly filled the dark room. I ran into the kitchen, the supposed source of the commotion, still clutching my bracelet.

I slid to a halt when I saw the glass-covered floor. To be a plate in our family was a dangerous occupation; they were usually Rick's favorite projectile.

My gaze swept over the room, taking in the pot, pan and half-cooked food that had also ended up on the floor. My father was hunched over my mother, his hands clamped around her throat. He was pressing her into the floor and shouting, but I wasn't looking at him anymore. I was looking into my mother's bloodshot eyes.

Her face was turning blue and Rick kept banging her head against the floor, but her lips were clearly and silently saying _run_. I felt like I should panic, like a normal person would panic, but I only felt rage. This was it; if I didn't do something he was going to kill my mother and then probably me.

Being this close to what I considered home must have given me courage because I ran towards him as fast as I could. I felt déjà vu when the glass on the floor pierced my feet, just as it did the day Levi was born.

When I reached my father, I latched onto his back and grabbed a handful of hair. I pulled until I felt some pieces let go and heard him wail. He grabbed my wrist and flung me off of him, sending me skidding across the glass covered floor into the stove. I lost my bracelet, my head hit the metal and I saw stars, but I had succeeded in getting him away from my mother.

He stood up, quickly turning towards me and rubbing his tender scalp.

"Aw, little girl, I thought we were past all this," he growled, trying to force his blurry eyes to focus.

I risked taking my eyes off him and glanced at my mother. She had barely moved since I walked into the room and now I couldn't even tell if she was breathing. This situation was going from bad to worse.

Rick's shoes crunching on the yellowing linoleum got my attention as he started towards me. He picked up Mom's chopping knife as he passed the cutting board. Okay, this was bad, really bad. By the looks of it he'd already killed my mother and now it was my turn.

I tried to push myself up off the floor, but my head was still spinning and I fell back with a clang. My arm stung where it landed on the hot frying pan. Suddenly, like a ray of light, I had an idea.

I put my head on the floor and waited. There would be no more nights like this, whichever way it went.

My father stopped right in front of me.

I didn't move.

He knelt down.

And still, I didn't move.

It was only when I felt him lean in that I struck. My fingers tightened around the handle of the frying pan and I swung it. For the first time in my life I was grateful that my father was a drunk. His reaction was delayed and my weapon found its mark.

The frying pan cracked him on the side of the head with enough force to knock him out cold. His torso crumpled onto my legs and was still. I struggled to get free; my breath was coming in ragged gasps and my entire body shook as the panic I should have been feeling all along finally overtook me.

When at last I kicked my feet out from underneath him, I crawled to where my mother lay. She still hadn't moved and the closer I got the more fear I felt.

She was so still, I couldn't bring myself to get any closer. What was I going to do? I sat back against the counter and saw something dark against the pale floor. My wolf lay, apparently unharmed, next to me. I picked it up and holding it tightly, I began to calm down. I had almost worked up the courage to check on my mom when Rick started to stir. He groaned and shifted, coming dangerously close to consciousness.

I couldn't bring myself to hit him again, so I did the only thing my newfound panic would allow; I quickly grabbed the keys that hung out of my father's pocket and I ran. I was out of the apartment and on the street in a flash. I didn't have shoes, but that didn't matter. I was out, and so close to the only place I considered home I could almost feel it. I shot one last look at my most recent prison before I took off, heading for the wall of trees that would lead me home.

**EPOV**

"_Hannah, what?" I pleaded, needing to hear news, any news about Andy._

"_Dana just called me," the words exploded from her lips, like she couldn't get them out fast enough. "Andy ran away, she's been gone for days and Dana thinks she might be headed this way. She told me where they live, Embry," Hannah was smiling through her tears._

_I could feel my own eyes filling up when the realization of what was happening sank in. She was alive. She was alive and what was better, I had a way to find her._

_I looked to Sam, who had set Levi on the floor and was stripping his shirt off, headed for the back door._

"_Now that's a hint," he grinned, stepping outside._

_I felt a surge of energy as I heard the alpha howl. The pack was going hunting._

Quil, Kale, Paul and I were silent in the back of Sam's truck, all of us focusing on what we had to do. The trees were a blur of green as I thought about what Andy must have gone through in the past couple of years. If her father had laid a hand on her, which I was pretty sure he had, it would take more restraint than I had not to tear him apart. My blood boiled just thinking about it.

"Easy, Em, we're almost there," Quil said when my hands started to shake.

I'd wanted to run the second Hannah told us where Andy had been living, but Sam, of course, had reasoned against it.

"And what's Hannah supposed to do, pretend one of us is a horse and ride there?" He paused while we both pictured it; we would have laughed if the circumstances had been different. "Besides, we'll need a way to get Andy back to La Push."

I'd agreed with him then, but now I was itching to phase and get there quicker. But I followed Sam's orders and waited in the truck like everybody else, twiddling my thumbs and feeling useless.

As an imprint, I was unmatched in my uselessness. I couldn't stop her father from taking her, couldn't keep her from dating someone else… I wonder if she's dated anyone else since I'd seen her. She'd be older now, almost seventeen, and definitely gorgeous…

My mind wandered along these lines until the few-far-between houses that we'd been passing became more numerous and dingy little buildings started cropping up.

I recognized this place from before, when I'd been looking for Andy. I hadn't been in Colville more than a day, but I didn't like it then either.

I heard paper crinkling in the cab of the truck as Hannah re-read the address that Dana had given her.

"Up there," she said, pointing at a small apartment building. I jumped out of the truck bed before Sam had even parked, Kale and Quil hot on my tail. I could faintly smell Andy, and I found her door by scent alone.

The thin walls shook as my fist pounded on the heavy wooden door.

"That's enough, Embry," Hannah scolded when she, Sam and Jared caught up. She deftly pushed me aside and knocked somewhat easier than I had.

"Dana?" she called softly. "Dana, its Hannah, are you there?"

I could hear the quiet footsteps and shaky breathing before the door creaked open. The woman on the other side was skinny with scraggly blond hair. The skin that wasn't covered in angry purple bruises was pale and thin looking. She was a lot younger than I thought she would be; she couldn't have been thirty-five years old.

"Hi," she said, very clearly and quietly. She stepped back into the apartment and we quickly followed. The place was small but clean, although it smelled faintly of blood.

"Hello Dana," Hannah replied, her voice cold and hard. She pushed past the smaller woman and quickly began searching the apartment. The rest of us filed quietly into the kitchen; our sense of smell told us Hannah wouldn't find what she was looking for.

"I told you," Dana mumbled, eyeing the giant native men crammed into her kitchen, "Andy's not here."

"We're wasting time," I growled. Now that I had a place to start, I would be able to follow her scent.

I led the way out of the apartment; following Andy's faded scent down the stairs. When I reached the bottom floor, a stench filled my nose that I had only smelled once before.

I had Andy's father pinned to the wall, his feet dangling, before he had even rounded the corner. My hand tightened around his throat and he sputtered, trying desperately to take in a breath.

"Embry stop!" Sam commanded, pulling my arm away from the sorry excuse for a man. My entire body was shaking like crazy, ready to erupt into the wolf that could easily tear this guys head off.

"Who the h-hell are you?" he coughed, still pressed against the wall.

I'd spent two years thinking about what I'd do to this fucking coward if I ever got a hold of him. He had taken my imprint, my reason for existence, and now I finally had him.

"He's not worth it Em," Paul said in a low voice.

The hallway had filled up with our little group, providing an audience. Sam stood close behind me, one hand on my shoulder to stop me. Paul and Kale were at the foot of the dirty stairs, blocking Hanna and Dana who peered over their shoulders for a better look. Out of the lot, Quil was the only one who looked ready to take my place. He was quietly vibrating next to me, eyes narrowed.

"Tear him apart," he growled. I was all too happy to oblige him. I slammed the fuck against the wall, hard enough for his head to bounce like a rubber ball and for some gyp-rock to crumble.

He cried out, making me smile and draw him back to do it again.

"Stop," the word came from Dana sounding almost like a prayer. I turned to look at her, dumbfounded. This guy had used her and her daughter as his personal punching bags for years and she wanted me to spare him? The look on her face was terrified. She loved him. No matter what he'd done, she loved him. Hannah took advantage of my momentary lapse.

"C'mon Embry, its getting cold. We need to find Andy," she said, pushing past Kale and Paul. Hannah knew the only thing that could tear me away from this man that I loathed was his daughter, who I loved.

I moved to let him go, but drew him close to me in one quick movement. I dipped my head down close to his, mustering all the hate I could into my words.

"If you ever come for her, try to contact her, or even _think _of her again, I _will_ kill you." I pushed him away, into the stairs. "And it won't be quick," I added, turning to follow Hannah. I made a promise to myself, then and there, that if I ever saw that guy again, it would be his last day.

From the apartment, we tracked Andy on foot. Kale and Hannah followed closely in the truck. It was hard to follow the trail through the scents of the town, but eventually it brought us to the back road heading west.

"She's heading home," Quil mumbled.

"Alright," Sam said in full alpha style. "We'll phase and follow the trail. Kale, you take Hannah and the truck and keep up as long as you can."

The kid began to protest, but one glare from the all-powerful leader and he settled for a scowl.

The wolves flooded into the forest on either side of the road. Our thoughts were all but silent, letting the wolves' instincts take over. Kale, pissed that he had been demoted to driver, kept the truck level with our progress. She was smart, my girl. She kept far enough off of the road that she couldn't be seen by cars driving by, but close enough to follow it. I started to feel the familiar imprint pull the farther we went.

We ran for what seemed like forever, following tiny whiffs of Andy's scent at first. As we went farther, the scent got easier to follow. Suddenly, about twenty miles outside of La Push, the trail veered sharply into the forest, away from the road and towards the reservation. It was so strong now it was overpowering and I followed it at a dead run.

The pull was so strong now it was almost painful. The trail was straight as an arrow for awhile, but then turned sharply and almost doubled back. I got really confused and had to stop; I could smell her all around me, like she'd walked in circles. The rest of the wolves were right beside me, waiting for my move.

I took a few slow steps, unsure of which way to go next, when I saw it. A blue denim leg sticking out from behind a tree. I froze in my tracks, terrified to move. Now that I was here, in this moment, I was nervous. If after all this time and coming so close, she wasn't alright…

I gathered my nerves and phased, pulling on my cutoffs before taking slow steps towards the unmoving figure. I could feel the others behind me, all still wolves, and although I couldn't hear what they were thinking, I knew as if I could. They were thinking that they were thinking that if Andy wasn't ok… things would never be the same.

I finally came around the tree to see her lying on the moss. Her curls covered her face, and whether she was ok or not, I couldn't stand one more second without seeing it.

I dropped to my knees and grabbed her shoulders, turning her onto my lab. She was cold and damp from lying on the ground, but her cheeks were pink and she was breathing. I let out a barking laugh and her eyelashes fluttered open. Finally, after two years, three weeks, and 1 day, I looked into the blue eyes that had captured me so long ago.

Her lips curved up at the corners, and she whispered the sweetest sound I have ever heard.

"Embry."

**Thanks again everyone, hope it was worth the wait! As always, I live for your reviews!**

**Thanks,**

**Nikki ;)**


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